Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has introduced a new cashless payment system for outpatient appointments at the Bone and Joint Centre and the Internal Medicine Clinic.
Hereafter, for all standard transactions, patients will no longer need to go to the cashier once they have booked in for their appointment. They will be able to pay at the same counter where they book in.
This also applies to pharmacy, where payments can be made on the spot instead of going to a cashier.
The cashless system will also allow any subsequent payments for services to be taken in the clinic itself, instead of the patient visiting a cashier. This is part of the wider programme of streamlining and enhancing the overall ambulatory patient experience across the organisation.
According to the new system, patients will pay for all outpatient services by credit, debit or e-cash card.
The e-cash card is a new sort of payment case available from QNB, which can be topped up and used to pay for government services.
It costs QR20 to purchase an e-cash card and they can be bought from many QNB branches around the country.  
In addition to the cashless implementation, staff will also receive special training to help enhance the patient experience in these clinics.  
Dr Mohamed al-Ateeq, medical director at the Bone and Joint Centre, stated: “When patients come to our clinic, we want them to have the best possible experience.
This new cashless system will mean they will have a much more streamlined process when they come for their appointment. We are working with our patients, listening to their feedback, to help us deliver the care they want in the way they prefer it.”
Liz Thiebe, acting chief executive officer for Rumailah Hospital, said: “Patient satisfaction is extremely important to us and we are constantly striving to ensure our internal medicine clinic is providing the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to every single patient. This new cashless system enables us to provide a smoother patient pathway, which means patients don’t spend any unnecessary time in the clinic.”