Patient faces difficulty booking appointment via Indus Hospital’s WhatsApp system

Patient faces difficulty booking appointment via Indus Hospital’s WhatsApp system

KARACHI: A patient has approached Medical News Pakistan with a complaint that she was unable to secure a doctor’s appointment through Indus Hospital’s WhatsApp-based booking system. The complainant, Parveen Akhtar, shared screenshots and a video of her interaction with the hospital’s automated chatbot, which repeatedly informed her that appointments were fully booked and advised her to try again the next day.

According to the screenshots, the system asked for the patient’s full name but, upon submission, returned a message stating that no slots were available. Despite her query on how to proceed, the chatbot repeated its automated welcome message without offering further guidance.

The complainant expressed frustration, stating that the process left her without clarity on how to secure a timely appointment for her medical needs.

Hospital’s response

When contacted, Indus Hospital & Health Network's spokesperson Mr. Fawad explained that the online token system was developed to ease patient access and eliminate the long early-morning queues that were once common outside the hospital.

“Previously, patients or their families would arrive at fajr time and stand in line for hours to get a token number. To save them from this inconvenience, we introduced the online booking facility, which allows patients to obtain a token from the comfort of their home,” he said.

Mr. Fawad clarified that the system issues a limited number of tokens per day, and once the quota is reached, it stops issuing numbers and advises patients to try again the next day. “We encourage patients to log in and get their token early in the morning to improve their chances,” he added.

High demand, limited slots

Indus Hospital & Health Network is a non-profit healthcare facility that provides free-of-cost medical treatment to patients across Pakistan. The hospital relies on donations and philanthropic support to sustain its operations and serves a high volume of patients daily, making appointment slots highly sought after.

While the online system aims to enhance accessibility, patient experiences suggest that limited daily slots and rapid booking closures remain a challenge for those seeking urgent consultations.

Stay informed. Stay ahead.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW Medical News Pakistan WhatsApp Channel for trusted healthcare updates, expert insights, clinical research, policy news, and medical breakthroughs—delivered directly to you.