PESHAWAR, June 20: The provincial health department has set up a 'health regulatory authority (HRA)' to regulate the private practice of doctors and the functioning of laboratories.

"An office has been established at the health secretariat, but we still need the required staff with computers and other facilities to run it," said HRA chairman Islam Bahadur Khan.

The establishment of the HRA was notified on May 30, 2003, but it has started functioning only a few days ago. Apart from the chairman and the director-general, health, the HRA shall consist of four members.

According to the NWFP Medical Health Institutions and Regulation of the Healthcare Services Ordinance 2002, HRA's functions included registration of private health institutions and its monitoring through management committees.

The HRA will set standards for establishment of clinical care facilities, and health and medical institutions in the private and public sectors. It will also set standards for regulation and provision of traditional medicines such as ayurvedic, homeopathic and Tibb, apart from making rules about dentistry, nursing and paramedics.

The authority will issue licences to medical practitioners and will take care of the malpractice taking place in the healthcare delivery network. It will also decide cases of malpractice or violation of standards in the private sector with a view to safeguarding the rights of patients and providing them with better healthcare facilities.

Under the HRA, no person shall be allowed to establish or run a private health institution if he (a) is a minor, (b) is found to be of unsound mind by a court of competent jurisdiction; (c) is declared insolvent; (d) has been found guilty of criminal misappropriation or criminal breach of trust of cheating or any other offence involving moral turpitude or an abetment of or attempt to commit, any such of offence, by a court of competent jurisdiction.