Professional regulation: To monitor healthcare services, commission to be set up in Sindh

The law will ban the practice of quackery to promote the rights of patients, doctors.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has finalised a bill to establish the Sindh Healthcare Commission to work as a watchdog for the hospitals in the province.

The law, which is likely to be passed in the Sindh Assembly’s upcoming session, aims to ensure high quality healthcare services at public and private hospitals, as well as, at autonomous healthcare centres. It will also ban the practice of quackery to promote the rights of patients, doctors and health workers.



“Presently, the patients do not know where to register complaints against hospitals, administrations and quacks. There is no regulatory body in the province to monitor hospitals and healthcare centres,” said former secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Dr Kaiser Sajjad.

A draft of the bill, available with The Express Tribune, reveals the commission will not only revoke and renew licences to hospitals and medical practitioners but monitor and regulate the quality and standards of the healthcare services. “Fines up to Rs500,000 will be imposed on those practicing without registration of their clinics and medical centres and Rs50,000 may be imposed on those who fail or refuse to cooperate with the inspection team,” stated the law.

Minister for parliamentary affairs minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said, “This is a unique idea and, for the first time in history of Sindh, an independent commission is being set-up to hear the complaints of the people through a toll-free number and undertake investigation into allegations of maladministration on the part of hospitals to take action against healthcare service providers.”

The minister said that if a complaint is fake than the complainant would be liable to pay a fine of up to Rs200,000. According to Dr Mandhro, after the law, many teams comprising health experts will be organised for the inspections of apparatus, appliances and equipments used at the hospitals.

The commission will also frame guidelines to protect health service providers from harassment, undue pressure and damage to property. “The security and protection of healthcare workers should be the responsibility of the organisations. The public and private hospitals must provide physical and legal protections to doctors and healthcare workers. In case of physical injury on duty, the doctors and healthcare workers should be fully compensated,” the law said.

The commission will work under its board consisting of nine commissioners, seven of whom are to be nominated by the provincial government in consultation with stakeholders of the health committee. A former judge of the Sindh High Court and a financial expert will also be nominated as the commission’s members. These commissioners ought to hold a secret ballot to elect the chairperson of the board from amongst themselves for a term of three years. The board will also constitute a technical advisory committee. The law further said that no suit or legal proceedings shall lie against the commission or its members for anything done in good faith.

According to PMA leaders, they have held many meetings with government representatives but this law has yet to be passed. “The law was implemented in Punjab in 2010 but the Sindh government always gives lame excuses,” said Dr Sajjad, adding that the government must ensure its publicity so that patients can realise their rights. “Everyday we see fights between patients and hospital administrations where people ransack the hospitals following negligence on the part of doctors and hospitals administration, but there is no anybody to deal with this matter,” he said.

For his part, health secretary Inamullah Dhareejo said the law was a top priority of the provincial government and the bill would be moved in the upcoming session.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2013.