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| June 9, 2005 | Thursday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1426 |
Hospitals told to refund ‘user charges’
PESHAWAR, June 8: Provincial Health Minister Inayatullah Khan has taken a strong notice of collection of extra charges from patients in some hospitals, and ordered the authorities to refund the amount within a month. He issued the directives on Wednesday while presiding over a meeting to discuss user charges in public hospitals following public complaints.
The health secretary, medical superintendents of teaching hospitals and other officials attended the meeting.
Expressing anguish over charging of extra fee from patients, the minister said that no changes had been made in the fee structure and the notification issued in this regard was very clear.
No fee would be charged from hospitalized patients for simple laboratory tests and X-rays. However, fee for operation and special tests such as MRI, CT scan, HCV, HBC and HIV would be charged according to the 1996 notification, he added.
A three-member committee was constituted to remove ambiguities in the notification.
The minister directed the medical superintendents to forward due information to the department in time, else strict action would be taken for laxity.
The provincial health department had notified a revised formula for distribution of user charges, but misinterpreting the notification some health institutions raised the amount.
According to the revised formula, 60 per cent of the user charges would go to the government, 25 per cent to doctors, 10 per cent to paramedics, two per cent to administrative staff and three per cent to maintenance pool after deduction of five per cent material cost and five per cent depreciation.
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