The Social Security Institute (IPS) began a series of ultrasound "marathons" this Saturday to significantly reduce the waiting list for these exams. The initiative, which will take place over eight consecutive Saturdays, aims to serve beneficiaries who had appointments scheduled only for the months of December, January, and February.
The marathons are being held at the Imaging Center of the IPS Central Hospital in Ingavi, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The capacity is for up to 180 exams per day, including abdominal and renal-bladder-prostatic ultrasounds. To expedite service, five doctors are working the morning shift and three in the afternoon.
According to Dr. Derlis León, Health Manager of the IPS, the high demand at the main social security hospitals meant that appointments were being scheduled several months in advance. "With this initiative, we are moving these appointments forward. The idea is for control studies to not have a waiting time of more than two months," he explained. The benefiting patients are being contacted directly by the IPS via phone or message to receive the new date and time, with no need for rescheduling.
This is the first stage of a plan expected to last two months. After the completion of this phase, the plan is to extend the initiative to include other types of exams, with the ongoing goal of reducing the extensive waiting list.