HMC’s Lbaih app adds appointment confirmation and radiology results in latest update

Three hundred thousand downloads in just over a year. That figure alone tells you something about how quickly Qatari patients have taken to digital health tools. Now Hamad Medical Corporation is adding more weight to that momentum, rolling out a fresh set of features on its Lbaih mobile application aimed at reducing friction in the outpatient experience.

The update, announced in Doha on 28 July 2026, introduces appointment confirmation, electronic fee payment, and direct access to radiology results, all from within the app. It is a focused, practical expansion rather than a wholesale redesign, and that focus is arguably what makes it useful.

How does it work?

The new features centre on three areas. First, patients can now confirm their upcoming appointments directly through Lbaih within the 48-hour window before their visit. Once that window opens, the ability to cancel or reschedule through the app is no longer available. Patients who still need to make changes during that period must contact the Nesma'ak service by calling 16060.

Second, as part of the first phase of the rollout, patients can pay applicable appointment fees electronically through the app. This feature is currently live at three HMC facilities:

• Heart Hospital
• Al Wakra Hospital
• Communicable Disease Center

Third, patients can now access their radiology results and full reports through the Medical File section of Lbaih. Reports from all HMC hospitals are available once a physician has reviewed and approved them, keeping clinical oversight in place while still getting results to patients faster.

Why does it matter?

For patients, the practical benefit is straightforward. Fewer phone calls, less time spent waiting for paper results, and a clearer picture of what happens in the lead-up to an appointment. But the operational angle is just as significant. Appointment no-shows are a persistent problem in public health systems globally. A built-in confirmation step, with a hard cutoff that pushes urgent changes to a live call centre, is a reasonable attempt to reduce that waste without creating new bottlenecks.

Nasser Al Naimi, Chief of Patient Experience at HMC and Director of Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, said the features are designed to give patients "greater flexibility and control" over managing their care. Dr. Amal Gomaa Abdulla, HMC's Chief Information Officer, pointed to the dual benefit: a better experience for patients and improved operational efficiency across facilities. She described Lbaih as "a single integrated platform" for secure, accessible digital health services, which signals that HMC sees the app as infrastructure, not just a convenience tool.

The context

Qatar is not operating in isolation here. Across the GCC, governments have spent the past several years pushing healthcare systems to digitise faster, driven partly by post-pandemic lessons and partly by national development frameworks that treat health technology as a strategic priority. In Qatar specifically, the national health strategy has consistently emphasised patient-centred care, and digital access is a core part of that commitment.

Lbaih launched in July 2025 and reached 300,000 downloads without a particularly long runway. That uptake reflects genuine demand, and it also puts some pressure on HMC to keep the platform's capabilities growing at a pace that matches expectations. So far, this update suggests the organisation is treating the app as a live, evolving product rather than a one-time launch.

The phased rollout of electronic payments is also worth watching. Starting with three hospitals before expanding is a sensible approach that limits risk, but it also means the feature's real-world performance at Heart Hospital, Al Wakra, and the Communicable Disease Center will effectively set the template for broader deployment. If the process holds up under real patient volumes, a wider rollout across HMC's full network seems the logical next step.

For health system leaders watching from elsewhere in the Gulf, Lbaih is a useful data point in a larger conversation about what patients actually want from a public health app, and what it takes to get them to use one consistently.