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