Minister of Health Ibrahim Al-Badoor directed the establishment of evaluation clinics at Al-Bashir and Prince Hamzah hospitals for patients referred from health centers on the same day, a move aimed at reducing wait times that previously stretched for months in certain specialties.

Al-Badoor stated that the system will be implemented as a "first step" at Al-Bashir and Prince Hamzah hospitals, before later expanding to other hospitals experiencing clinic appointment delays. He emphasized that "there will be no future appointments for new patients at Al-Bashir and Prince Hamzah outpatient clinics."

The new clinics will begin receiving patients referred from health centers across the capital starting Tuesday, August 18. Patients will undergo same-day evaluations to determine their need for specialized care and the appropriate treatment course for their conditions.

The clinics will cover surgery and orthopedics, alongside internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology, with patients being referred to subspecialty clinics when necessary.

Additionally, the clinics will evaluate patients holding distant appointments in general and subspecialty clinics, reorganizing their schedules based on medical urgency to shorten wait times and utilize available capacity at both hospitals.

Al-Badoor explained that the plan aims to reorganize the patient pathway and strengthen integration between health centers and hospitals. Cases that can be managed within primary healthcare will remain at local centers, while cases requiring specialized care will be referred to hospitals based on medical need.