Private hospitals to be regulated by Feb. next year
The stage is set to regulate Sri Lanka’s private hospitals with the aim of streamlining patients care and sale of drugs in compliance with pharmaceutical policy, health services, surgeries and hospital charges.
The relevant gazette notification will be issued in February 2018, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the Business Times.
He revealed that the private hospital regulatory report prepared by KMPG Sri Lanka is now being studied by the Private Health Services Regulatory Council and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority.
This report has been prepared by analysing the data collected from around 144 private hospitals and health centres in the island.
Senior Additional Secretary, Additional Secretary and other officials of the special raids unit of the Health Ministry are to be given the authority to inspect private hospitals; he said adding that necessary guidelines and circulars will be issued after the publication of the gazette notification.
The Act establishing the Private Health Services Regulatory Council will also be revised to suit the present needs, a senior Health Ministry official said noting that private hospital bills will be regulated for the benefit of patients.
The Health Ministry has received complaints against some private hospitals charging exorbitant bills rates for its services, he disclosed.
Private hospital charges are to be made reasonable considering the standard of health services such as advanced technology, quick response to patient needs and access to leading consultants being offered by relevant hospitals, he added.
Proper standards of quality and safety in providing health services at these hospitals for the expectations of patients will be made compulsory under the regulatory system, he said,
Some 10 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population seeks private hospital treatment and around 250 private hospitals and medical centres are currently in operation. The number of private medical practitioners is around 10,000, Health Ministry data showed.