KARACHI: Health dept fails to get draft ord approved : No check on private healthcare providers
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Nov 18: Despite its enthusiasm for regulation of the business of private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres running across the province, the Sindh health department has not been able to get a set of relevant laws enacted by the outgoing public representatives.
Sources in the health department attributed the failure to the bureaucracy, saying that a draft ordinance to ensure safe operation of private sector healthcare institutions, including teaching hospitals and charity healthcare providers, and to check unethical practices was forwarded to the Sindh Governor’s House about seven months back.
At least two provincial ministers and some senior officials had stated on record that there was a dire need to have some legal provisions for regulation of private hospitals as a majority of them was a great source of concern for patients as well as their relatives, said a source.
Upon enquiries that continued till mid-October, Dawn was told by an official concerned that no draft had been received at the Governor’s House. “There does not arise a question of delay in promulgation of the ordinance, as it is a normal practice that the staffs concerned move promptly after receiving a duly-vetted document for an approval and promulgation by the governor,” the official said.
Health minister
When asked to comment on the subject, Health Minister Syed Sardar Ahmad confirmed that a revised draft ordinance pertaining to regulation and control of private hospitals, which was approved by Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim in January this year, was very much with the Governor’s House.
“Since I personally felt that grievances of people against private hospitals were on the rise, I had a track record of the draft,” he said, adding that the former principal secretary of the governor in some conversation had also acknowledged it some time back.
Mr Ahmad said it was never too late and expressed hope that the governor would look into the matter and promulgate the much awaited ordinance at the earliest.It is pertinent to note here that the chief minister had asked the health department to prepare documents for enactment of appropriate laws for proper regulation and control of hospitals in June 2004. High-ups in the health department and the governor too gave favourable views about regulation and control of private hospitals on various occasions.
Draft of health ord
If the ordinance is promulgated, an accreditation and licensing authority will be established for regulating private hospitals, clinics, laboratories, physiotherapy centres, pathologist, nursing homes, maternity homes, diagnostic clinics and other health providers, including hakeem, operating in the province.
According to the draft ordinance, the headquarters of the authority shall be located in Karachi and it will be headed by a chairman, nominated by the chief minister. It will pave the way for the aggrieved quarters to move against any private health centre involved in fleecing public.
In addition to giving accreditation to health providers in the private sector, the authority can inspect in a checklist form by medical auditors, seek any medical information from a health provider and make regulations.
Among other objectives, the legislation has also been sought after to eliminate quacks and so-called faith healers by making a prior permission from the authority mandatory to practise at any health centre in the province.
The government through the ordinance will be able to set rules for classifications of health providers according to the services they have been providing to the patients or people coming for treatment or diagnostic purposes, and to define minimum safety standards for running a hospital.
The ordinance has also been aimed at laying down standards/rules for ethical medical services, provision of medico-legal facilities in the private hospital, improving the handling of patients at such hospitals and clinics.
Any immediate promulgation of the ordinance will also enable the provincial health department to determine a standard of fees/charges payable for services provided by the clinics and hospitals, said a source in the health department, adding that the department would also be in a position to get the details of communicable and contagious diseases from hospitals.
