KARACHI, March 20: An ordinance to regulate and control all existing and upcoming hospitals and health centres in the private sector in the province is likely to be issued in a fortnight, said sources in the health department.

A meeting to develop consensus on the draft ordinance “Sindh Private Hospitals and Clinics (Regulation and Control)” was held at the health department on Monday with secretary of the department, Dr Noshad Shaikh, in the chair. Senior doctors, representatives of hospital managements and PMA, senior health officials and media men attended the meeting.

The ordinance is aimed at registration of health care centres and clinics with the Sindh government through Sindh Private Hospitals and Clinics Authority, to be headed by provincial health minister.

The proposed ordinance calls for categorization of private health centres dealing in modern, homeopathic, ayurvedic or any other traditional system of diagnosis or treatment.

Dr Noshad said that if things went in the anticipated direction, Sindh would be the first province to have such an ordinance under which private hospitals would be monitored. The laws are being framed to bring hospitals and clinics up to the aspirations of the people, besides making them more patient-friendly, he added.

The draft after incorporating the inputs of the participants will be sent for vetting to the Sindh law department in a week, said the source.