A system of SMS reminders for people with an outpatients' appointment at Mater Dei Hospital has registered immediate success.

As from the end of July, reminders are being sent 10 days before the appointment, followed up with another two days before.

Health Minister Chris Fearne said in reply to a Parliamentary Question that in the first month of its use, this system had already had reduced no-shows by 11%.

A third of no-shows are due to patients forgetting their appointment.

Read: SMS reminders for hospital outpatient visits

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