Levelling the field: CADD stops private practice at PIMS

Move welcomed by hospital’s administration

ISLAMABAD: Amid complaints that some doctors were charging high fees, the government has put a stop to the private practice of doctors at one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in the capital.

Earlier this week, the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) decided to end the private practice by doctors at Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims) during evenings, citing public dissatisfaction and little to no difference in fee of private clinics and that charged at the hospital.

The Pims administration has appreciated CADDs’ decision, noting that the initiative could not be successful since their infrastructure was already overburdened apart from a host of other issues.



Pims Spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja termed CADD’s decision to stop the private practice of professors as “a good decision”.

“Not a single hospital of the federal or the provincial governments has private outpatient departments in hospitals,” he explained.

Government hospitals are meant to provide services for free and a very nominal amount is charged for treatment including tests and medicines, Dr Khawaja added.

Apart from treating the public, the hospital also offers free treatment to government employees.

While emergency treatment is also free, for the services and test which require funds — such as operations — a Zakat fund takes care of payment issues for those who cannot even afford that.

And patients who are not entitled to avail the Zakat fund are charged a cut-price which is far below the price at private testing laboratories and clinics.



Millions are spent to facilitate patients every year, he said.

If those who are not entitled cannot afford the fees for privately practising doctors at the hospital, they can contact the director for free treatment.

Patients who can afford it can seek treatment anywhere at private health institutions, he said.

An institutional-based practice had commenced at the hospital in April 2016 with patients allowed to visit physicians and surgeons by paying 30 per cent fewer fees when compared to other private facilities available in the city. The idea was that they would utilise the same facilities in the evening for their private practice allowing both the doctors and the hospital to make some money.

However, the fees being charged by professors at Pims was the same as that in private hospitals and clinics.

But the major complaint was that despite paying the higher fees, private patients had to queue up in many of the same long lines for tests as would general patients.

Moreover, carrying out private operation proved to be a step too far for the hospital since it did not have sufficient staff to operate them. Moreover, operation theatres used to be constantly occupied with emergency patients.

Private patients who checked in in the evening were also lucked out with the availability of beds.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2018.