Implementation of uniform diagnostic test rates stalled in K-P MTI hospitals

The enforcement of uniform diagnostic test rates across major Medical Teaching Institutions in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains stalled, as several leading hospitals have yet to implement the provincial government’s directives aimed at standardising laboratory charges in public-sector facilities.

According to official sources, the provincial cabinet approved new, standardised rates for diagnostic laboratory tests conducted in government hospitals on November 14. The decision was intended to introduce a uniform policy across MTI hospitals to curb arbitrary pricing and provide relief to patients.

Subsequently, the provincial Health Department issued formal directives to major MTIs, including Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar, Mardan Medical Complex, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad, Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Bannu, Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, Bacha Khan Medical Complex Swabi, and Khyber Institute of Child Health.

Sources said the revised policy covers 63 different laboratory tests, for which new rates have been notified. These include tests for malaria, calcium, creatinine, blood urea, VDRL, HIV, blood R/E, protein electrophoresis, as well as X-ray imaging of various body parts, among others. The Health Department’s Rate Fixing Committee is also expected to issue a formal notification endorsing the newly approved charges.

However, despite clear directives, implementation has been uneven. Sources revealed that in several major MTI hospitals, diagnostic tests are still being conducted at previously fixed—or allegedly arbitrary—rates. Among the three major MTIs in Peshawar, only Hayatabad Medical Complex has fully complied with the new policy. HMC has issued its notification and enforced the revised laboratory charges with effect from November 21.

Officials at Khyber Teaching Hospital said the delay was due to technical reasons, explaining that changes in test rates require an upgrade of the hospital’s Management Information System (MIS). This process involves entering revised prices and conducting a comparative review before the new rates can be applied. Hospital officials described the process as time-consuming but necessary to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Meanwhile, officials at Lady Reading Hospital maintained that many diagnostic services at LRH are already being provided at rates significantly lower than the market. They cited MRI scans, which cost around Rs15,000 at private facilities but are offered for Rs6,000 at LRH, as an example of subsidised tests. Moreover, all diagnostic tests for patients admitted under the Sehat Card Plus programme are conducted entirely free of charge.

LRH officials further emphasised that the hospital is an autonomous institution, and any revision in rates requires prior approval from its Board of Governors. Without such approval, new charges cannot be implemented.

Sources added that similar delays persist in major MTI hospitals across other districts, where new rates have yet to be finalised. As a result, patients visiting these hospitals continue to bear higher diagnostic costs, undermining the government’s objective of affordability and uniformity in public healthcare.

In addition, sources disclosed that the provincial government had earlier decided to introduce uniform fees for various surgical procedures at MTI hospitals. However, this initiative has also failed to materialise. At present, each hospital continues to charge its own rates for surgeries and operations, with fees for certain procedures reportedly exceeding those of private hospitals.

The continued delay in enforcing standardised rates has raised concerns among patients and health observers, who argue that the lack of uniformity contradicts the spirit of healthcare reforms introduced under the MTI system.