Private health service regulations sleeping:

Special committee to amend Private Medical Act

Nadira Gunatilleke

[Private health service]

*Patients face problems at some private hospitals

*Private Health Services Act inactive

* Health Ministry unable to tackle issues

*A dominant Act to be brought up

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a four-member special committee to amend the Private Medical Institutions (Registrations) Act Number 21 of 2006. The main objective of amending this Act is obtaining more powers to the Health Ministry to offer a good health service to the public through private medical institutions, Health Ministry spokesman said. According to the spokesman, the four-member committee is now working with the Legal Department of the Ministry to amend the Act.

Proper regulations are required to get the private medical institutions to deliver a good service to the public.

This is why patients still trust State Hospitals more than private medical institutions. Regularly, a significant number of public complaints are received by the Health Ministry in connection with various problems they face in private medical institutions such as exorbitant prices and negligent medical services.

The Health Ministry does not have adequate powers to regulate private medical institutions properly and act against injustices done to some patients by some of these private hospitals.

The Director of the unit set up at the Ministry to regulate private medical institutions does not have any powers to deal with such issues effectively.

The Private Health Services Regulatory Council (PHSRC) set up under the Act is inactive and is limited to its name, he said.

In the private sector, as of today, there are nearly 12,000 part time and 800 full time General Practitioners (GPs) and 750 dental surgeons along with 200 hospitals, 15,000 medical centres, six nursing homes, 450 medical laboratories and six ambulance services operating in the country at the moment, he said.