Hamad Medical Corporation’s Paediatrics Emergency Centre in Al Saad (PEC) has introduced a new cashless payment system for all its services. Cash payments will no longer be accepted at the PEC under the new system which has been on trial for the past three months.
The implementation of the new payment method is part of a wider programme looking at streamlining and enhancing the overall patient experience across HMC.
Patients visiting the Al Saad clinic will now need to pay by credit, debit or e-cash card (a new card available from QNB for QR20, which can be topped up and used to pay for government services), instead of using cash.
As a result, PEC patients paying cash for their medications will now be able to pay at the pharmacy counter itself instead of visiting the cashier, allowing them to retrieve and pay for their prescriptions more efficiently. The cashless system will also allow any subsequent payments for services to be taken at the registration counter.
Assistant director of Paediatrics Emergency Centres Dr Mohamed al-Amri said: “By eliminating a step in the payment process, we hope to save valuable time for our young patients and their families who are visiting the PEC Al Saad.”
So far, HMC has piloted the cashless system with great success at the Women’s Hospital and Bone and Joint Centre. It is believed that this change has enhanced the patient experience and the organisation is looking forward to implementing the system across all of its facilities in the near future.