To move away from the notion that clinic visits require a full day, Cape Town’s health department has piloted an online appointment portal for city clinics.
It allows healthcare clients to decide when and where they want to visit the clinic, says mayoral committee member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross.
In addition, it allows them to cancel and reschedule bookings – all from their cellphone, she states.
“This pilot project aims to put clients in control – they can choose their preferred date and clinic for a consult, or schedule a follow-up visit in consultation with staff. Our clinics have migrated to a digital records system, so a patient’s details can be pulled up at any facility, irrespective of where they originally opened their folder,” according to Van der Ross.
“These are some of the examples of how city health is working towards an improved client experience, to move away from the long-held idea that a clinic visit requires a full day.”
The city first hinted at online appointment services at its clinics in 2017. At the time, mayoral committee member JP Smith said the city envisions an electronic appointment system that will potentially reduce patient queues, congestion and waiting times.
Key among the city’s service delivery improvements has been IT modernisation to render integrated, streamlined and efficient business processes at community facilities and appointment systems at city clinics.
According to the city, the portal marks a step up from the existing appointment system, which until now only allowed clinic staff to make appointments on behalf of patients.
To use the online booking platform, clients are required to enter personal details, including their name and cellphone number. Once the registration is completed, they are able to follow the prompts to book their appointment.
The user will also receive a confirmation SMS to their cellphone number. Should patients need to reschedule or cancel the appointment, they are able to do so by logging on using the original OTP, and cancel the appointment using the reference number received.
“I want to encourage our clients to use the system, not only to make their lives simpler, but also to help us iron out any glitches. I also want to appeal to users to please stick to their appointment times by arriving at least half an hour earlier,” notes Van der Ross.
“The ideal is to be seen within a reasonable time period of the appointment, but we cannot aim for that if clients are late. It causes a knock-on effect that throws off the entire schedule. While staff will aim to abide by appointment times, they also have a duty of care to ensure consultations are done as thoroughly as possible.
“These are exciting times for city health, and I call on everyone to please work together so that we can build a system that works, for everyone’s benefit.”
To gain access to the appointment system, residents can do so via the web-based portal, or by scanning a QR code link that connects them to the site.
For answers to frequently asked questions on the portal, click here.
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