By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Capital health zone director Dr Afrah Al-Sarraf announced launching the Amiri Hospital online portal to communicate with hospital patients, both citizens and expatriates. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting she headed to launch the service, Sarraf said the new platform had been devised in view of the current health circumstances and as part of measures taken by the hospital to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect patients by reducing their visits to the hospital.

Sarraf added that the portal will provide the services of prescribing medicines, nutrients and medical materials, renewing prescriptions, medicine home delivery, inquiring about outpatient department and visit appointments, medical test requests, complaints, inquiries and warnings.

"There is a team including members from the hospital's 14 departments operating the portal," she underlined, pointing out that the second phase of the project due to be launched soon will include online consultation, through which patients will be able to communicate with doctors by video.

Amiri Hospital Director Dr Ali Al-Alandah said 2,187 patients had been registered through the portal and that the number will increase in view of the growing number of hospital patients wishing to use the service. "The Amiri Hospital is the first to use an online portal in Kuwait," he underlined.

The hospital's official spokesperson Dr Raed Sayyed Hashem stressed that the portal aims at facilitating services for patients and helps them stay at home amidst fears of the spread of COVID-19. Gastroenterologist at Thunayyan Al-Ghanem Center Dr Maasouma Al-Ali added that medicines will be delivered to patients within 24 to 48 hours and that 920 home deliveries had been made so far. Amiri Hospital's IT department manager Mezyad Al-Mutairi stressed that the portal ensures privacy of patients' information.