Operation Management: Empirical Case Study (Al Buraimi Medical Clinic—Private Clinic)

Abstract

This case is about a “walk in” clinic called Al Buraimi Medical Clinic (BMC) which treats non-acute illnesses. BMC’s philosophy states “first come, first served”. It serves about 15,000 citizens. This is the only medical center in the region that provides some of the advanced services including a world-class rehabilitation center, regional burn center, high-risk maternity program and trauma center. This case describes how a process could affect the effectiveness and efficiency of a service. It’s vital to understand how process works as it helps to ensure the competitiveness of the company. A process according to Chase, Jacobs and Aquilano (2006), process is any part of the company that turns inputs into outputs which is of a more value to the company than the original inputs. In this case, nurses, MD, specialized equipments combined with another input, the patient is transformed through proper treatment and medical care into a healthy patient. Therefore, the healthy patient is an outcome of the process.