Abu Dhabi: Patients are complaining about long waits in getting appointments at radiology departments of private hospitals in Abu Dhabi.
Many said it takes two to three weeks to get an appointment for an ultrasound scan, MRI or CT scan at certain hospitals.
“I saw an internal medicine specialist at a private hospital on the fourth of this month. He recommended an ultrasound but there is no date available before February 25,” said 32-year-old Arab expat Haneef Rihawi.
“What do I do these three weeks? Continue taking my painkillers without getting a proper diagnosis for my stomach pain,” said Rihawi.
Another Arab resident said his daughter has a small lump on her right breast, and the doctor has asked for an MRI scan.
But the radiology department at the private hospital he visited can give him an appointment only after two weeks.
“We are really worried about it. But what is more frustrating is the two-week waiting period to do the procedure,” he said.
XPRESS came across many cases where patients with ligament tears and head injuries were being made to wait for weeks for radiology-supported diagnosis.
“I met an accident last week and need to undergo a scan urgently but there are just no dates. I don’t know what to do,” said a middle-aged Indian worker.
A Pakistani woman who is pregnant with her second child said she has been waiting for days to get an appointment. “I am thinking of trying my luck in Dubai or Sharjah,” she said.
Key reasons
Hospitals attributed the long waits to the overwhelming increase in the number of patients and shortage of radiologists.
“There are multiple reasons for the long waiting period. The single biggest factor is the shortage of qualified staff,” said the spokesperson for a leading private healthcare provider.
He said the healthcare system comes under massive pressure when there is a supply-demand imbalance.
“Ninety per cent of the healthcare staff in our hospital is recruited from outside the UAE. It is becoming more and more difficult to find experienced and qualified radiologists,” he added.
Another private hospital group said it was the shortage of female radiologists that was causing the delays.
“We only have one female radiologist. She can see only a certain number of female patients in a day,” said a hospital official.
Some hospitals said that the time taken by insurance companies to approve procedures also adds to the problem.
“Depending on the procedure, and the type of health cover, insurance companies take a week or more to give us approvals,” explained a radiologist.
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