Irbid, July 23 (Petra) — Princess Basma Governmental Hospital in
Irbid will begin operating evening outpatient clinics next Sunday
under a new Ministry of Health initiative aimed at reducing
overcrowding and shortening waiting times for patients referred from
primary healthcare centers.

The plan establishes eight weekly evening clinics across four
high-demand specialties: neurosurgery, pediatric neurology,
orthopedics and internal medicine, with two clinics allocated to each
specialty. The additional clinics will receive newly referred
patients, expanding the hospital’s outpatient capacity and
accelerating access to specialized care.

Minister of Health Ibrahim Bdour announced the initiative Thursday
during a field visit to the hospital, saying it is part of the
ministry’s efforts to improve access to healthcare services and
implement Prime Minister Jafar Hassan’s directives to strengthen
field oversight and enhance the quality of government services.

Bdour said the ministry will also begin implementing a new system on
Sunday for receiving newly referred patients at the hospital’s
outpatient clinics to speed up diagnosis, initiate treatment more
quickly and improve the overall patient experience.

He said the decision followed an on-site assessment that identified
overcrowding and lengthy waiting times in several specialties. Based
on the success of a similar pilot program at Zarqa Governmental
Hospital, the ministry directed the hospital administration to
establish evening specialty clinics to expand service capacity.

Princess Basma Governmental Hospital Director Walid Halabi said the
hospital has completed all administrative and technical preparations
to implement the new system.

He said the evening clinics will operate weekly beginning at 1:30
p.m., increasing outpatient capacity and improving access to
specialized medical services.

Halabi added that the new mechanism is expected to significantly
reduce waiting times for patients referred from health centers, which
in some specialties had previously stretched to several months,
enabling earlier diagnosis, more timely treatment and improved
quality of care.

//Petra// AJ