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Long waits and early queues spark patient complaints at La Chorrera polyclinic
🇵🇦 Panama /Health & Science

Long waits and early queues spark patient complaints at La Chorrera polyclinic

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Patients at the Santiago Barraza Polyclinic in La Chorrera, Panama, are complaining about long waits and early morning queues for laboratory tests, even with scheduled appointments.
  • Some patients report arriving as early as 4 a.m. for appointments scheduled for 8 a.m., facing hours of waiting while fasting.
  • The polyclinic's clinical laboratory chief explained a new appointment system via call center 199, option 3, with 140 daily slots, and outlined a process for patient classification and call-out numbers upon arrival.

Patients at the Santiago Barraza Polyclinic in La Chorrera are voicing frustration over extended wait times and the necessity of arriving before dawn for laboratory tests, despite having scheduled appointments. Many report spending hours fasting while waiting to be called, with some arriving at 4 a.m. for 8 a.m. appointments, only to be seen well past 10 a.m.

From 4 in the morning here, to wait until 6 a.m., when they open, and then sometimes I'll tell you they attend more or later.

— unaffected patientDescribing the early arrival and wait times for laboratory tests.

One affected patient suggested extending operating hours or implementing morning and afternoon shifts to alleviate the burden on patients who must endure long waits on an empty stomach. "Put two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and that way you avoid people getting up early, coming on an empty stomach; then at 11, 12 they attend, and that doesn't work like that," the patient stated.

Put two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, and that way you avoid people getting up early, coming on an empty stomach; then at 11, 12 they attend, and that doesn't work like that.

— patientProposing extended hours to reduce patient wait times and fasting periods.

In response to the complaints, Olivia Mejía, the acting chief of the Clinical Laboratory at the polyclinic, detailed a new appointment system implemented through the call center 199, option 3, which offers 140 daily slots. She explained that upon arrival, patients must first see an attendant who will assign them a number based on their patient category. These numbers will be displayed on screens outside the laboratory for call-outs.

I had to come at 4 in the morning to be able to get slots, and sometimes they don't get anything.

— userExpressing the difficulty of securing appointments and the need for extreme early arrival.

Mejía also clarified that patients with call center appointments should arrive one hour before their scheduled time, emphasizing that the day is organized into blocks. For instance, from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., 30 patients are scheduled, followed by 35 from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and so on, up to the last block from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. She reminded patients that there isn't a separate line for those who booked via phone.

Through the call center, calling 199, option 3, you will have every day; there are 140 slots to be attended in the La Barraza laboratory.

— Olivia MejíaExplaining the new appointment system and daily capacity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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