(MENAFN - Arab News) The health affairs department in Jeddah has revealed that the ministry intends to increase the number of outpatient surgery cases, also known as same-day surgery.
The objective of this policy, where the patient leaves the hospital within 24 hours of the procedure, is to keep hospital costs down by 50 percent and minimize the risk of contamination and infection.
More than 65,000 same-day surgeries were conducted in the Kingdom last year, of which 5,000 were carried out in Jeddah.
"The same-day surgery policy aims to provide more beds for emergency patients, as well as other everyday medical cases and shorten the list of patients waiting for surgery," said health affairs director Sami Badawood.
Abdulatif Mahyoub, bed management director at the health affairs department in Jeddah and coordinator of same-day surgery, said: "About 80 percent of surgeries can be conducted on outpatients, with the exception of procedures that need an incision of the chest. The patient in this case needs more than a one-day stay in hospital."
He emphasized the success rate of same-day procedures without any complications, adding: "Members of the community are used to staying at hospitals for long periods after any procedure, which hampers the treatment process of others."
However, he said, dismissing people from a hospital within 24 hours after a surgery demands that patients are thoroughly checked. They should be in good health and able to take care of themselves.
Yasser Al-Ghamdi, the supervisor-general of the Ministry of Health's Bed Management Program, said that disseminating the culture of outpatient surgery is very important. "Same-day surgery is one of the pivotal pillars of our bed management program, as it aims to free up more beds for other patients who need to stay at the hospital. It also decreases hospital costs by 30 to 50 percent and decreases the risk of infections or complications in patients."
He said that such a practice is widely used in most advanced countries, stressing at the same time on the importance of expanding such policy for the benefit of all parties concerned.
