17/6/2022
Malipo Centre and KPCC COC introduce Electronic Queue Management System
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By Melody Ajiambo, and Petterson Njogu Kenyatta National Hospital’s Malipo Centre and KPCC’s Corporate Outpatient Centre (COC), have rolled out the Electronic Queue Management System (EQMS) in a bid to improve service delivery and reduce the turnaround time for clients seeking billing services. This long-awaited system from Wavetech Company has already shown its numerous benefits. Malipo Center had a great need for a queue management system because of the large number of clients who are served at the premise. According to Mr. Wycliffe Litsalisa, Manager, Malipo Centre, an average of 300 clients are served from the various counters at the center per day. Some of these counters include billing, NHIF preauthorization, debt management unit (DMU), cashpoint, refund, and corporate services. The fact that different counters offer different services was very confusing to the clients, with time wasted trying to locate the right counter. The EQMS has two ticketing forms; one includes feeding one’s phone number to the ticket kiosk located at the entrance of the facility, selecting the service a client wants, then getting a physical ticket number. The other one is a virtual form of ticketing that is yet to function- one either scans the QR code displayed or sends a WhatsApp message with KNH002 to the number provided then they get a virtual ticket. These tickets will show the client what counter to go to as they wait for their turn. One of the benefits of this system is that it has significantly reduced crowding at the service counters. The ticket has a time stamp and date that helps the client follow up on the time taken to get a specific service. Moreover, the tickets show how many clients are awaiting the same service ahead of them, further reducing confusion. Mr. Litsalisa, quoted earlier, stated that this system has increased the efficiency of the
PHOTO |SHAWN OMONDI Digital feedback tool for customer review after service at KPCC
KNH employees stationed at Malipo Center. “The workflow has greatly improved as clients don’t waste time trying to find the right counter,” he concluded. With this improvement, we hope that clients will be satisfied with the fast service that will be offered at the Malipo center henceforth. At the COC, excessive queuing and waiting are among the leading causes of customer dissatisfaction in hospitals. More times than not, walk-ins are
“The entire management has worked tirelessly to ensure we have this Queue Management System in place,” Mr. Simon Too, Marketing and Communication Manager at KPCC
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random and to some extent, chaotic. To avert this, a hospital ought to incorporate a queue management system to automate the process of handling walk-in patients. Kenyatta Prime Care Centre, alive to this reality, rolled out this technology into full operation on the week of 6th June 2022.
PHOTO | NICHOLAS WAMALWA The digital screens provided display the ticket number and the counter where one is to served
What is a queue management system (QMS)? This is a patient journey management system that contains a set of tools that help a hospital enhance the patient’s entire visit, from check-in to discharge. It is aimed to maximize effectiveness and efficiency within the waiting area. A case in point is our Corporate Outpatient Centre (COC). How it works Once a patient walks into the facility, they are met with a ticketing dispenser kiosk where they key in their phone number; a prompt with all the services pops up and the client selects the required service. From there, the patient proceeds to the waiting area as they await the integrated intercom to call their unique numbers and proceed to the relevant service area. The ticket generated contains a unique patient number, the actual
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