Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has reduced the average waiting time for patients to secure their first specialist appointment from 58 days in 2024 to about 16 days, HMC director-general Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Suwaidi has said.
The reduction followed a series of operational measures aimed at improving access to healthcare, increasing efficiency and enhancing the patient experience, he said.
Al-Suwaidi was speaking during the fourth episode of the National Planning Council’s ‘Development Podcast’, which examined HMC’s readiness and its contribution to the objectives of Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030.
When al-Suwaidi assumed responsibility for HMC in 2024, more than 70,000 patients were on appointment waiting lists, with referred patients waiting an average of about 58 days for their first specialist consultation.
HMC subsequently introduced a package of measures to reduce waiting times, including co-operation with private-sector hospitals, referrals of selected cases to the private sector, evening clinics and two-shift operations.
These measures brought the average waiting period down to about 16 days. HMC’s target is to provide patients with a specialist appointment within 14 days. HMC has also taken measures to strengthen the continuity of medicine supplies during periods of regional instability.
The corporation temporarily reduced the dispensing period for chronic-disease medication from three months to one month in 2026 as a precaution while it reorganised its relationship with suppliers and adjusted its supply chains. Al-Suwaidi said the supply system was stabilised within about a month and a half, after which the normal three-month dispensing period resumed.
The measure was intended to safeguard the availability of medicines, treatments and medical supplies without interrupting patients’ access to essential medication. Meanwhile, HMC has incorporated patient feedback more directly into its operational management through a system of telephone calls to citizens after they leave emergency departments.
The calls, which average about one minute and 45 seconds, allow officials to identify problems that may not emerge through conventional electronic surveys. Patient feedback is recorded and monitored through a performance dashboard.
Al-Suwaidi said the system has helped identify and address problems involving appointments, procedures, equipment, cleanliness, security and other aspects of service delivery. The emphasis on measurable performance extends across HMC’s 14-hospital network.
Al-Suwaidi said the corporation has developed interactive monitoring systems covering performance indicators from the institutional level down to individual hospitals, departments, specialities and, in some cases, individual doctors. The indicators track metrics such as patient volumes, consultation times, and surgical activity. Emergency department data cover patient numbers, waiting times after triage, the time taken to see a physician, bed availability and the period between admission decisions and transfer to an appropriate department.
HMC provides more than 22,000 specialised health services across its network, serving both citizens and residents.
Al-Suwaidi said HMC’s management approach is centred on teamwork, data, technology, continuous performance measurement and direct engagement with patients, with operational initiatives contributing to broader strategic objectives. He also said Qatarisation extends beyond administrative positions to medical and technical professions, with HMC supporting the development of Qatari doctors and other healthcare professionals across general and specialised fields. To Page 2
Qataris hold about 99% of leadership positions across HMC’s sectors, he said. The medical and nursing sectors are among the largest components of the healthcare system and have their own sector-level leadership structures. Al-Suwaidi said HMC’s longer-term strategy places the patient at the centre of investments in technology, equipment and healthcare services, with particular attention to chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular conditions and genetic disorders.
These priorities are linked to Qatar’s national health strategy and are measured through defined performance indicators, with service quality, patient experience and health outcomes among the key objectives. The corporation is also seeking to improve public understanding of appointment scheduling.
HMC has stressed that a follow-up appointment scheduled several months after an initial consultation does not necessarily indicate a long waiting list. Such appointments may be clinically determined as part of a treatment plan, with physicians scheduling patients for reassessment after one, two or three months depending on their condition.
HMC is revising appointment messages to make it clearer when a later appointment reflects planned clinical follow-up rather than a delay due to capacity constraints. The measures underline HMC’s broader effort to improve access to healthcare, using data, technology, and patient feedback to identify operational challenges and improve services.