PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Doctors Association has complained about “flaws” in the Health Care Commission Act, 2015, and demanded the inclusion of the district health officers and hospital medical superintendents in the HCC’s inspection committees and depositing of its revenue generated from health centre registration and licensing, and imposition of penalties in the bank account of the health department.

In a letter to the health secretary, association president Dr Ameer Taj Khan insisted that the HCC Act had negatively affected the healthcare system in the province.

He added that the HCC was formed in line with the relevant law enforced in 2015 to improve patient care in the province by regulating health establishments, but the “desired results” couldn’t be achieved as the HCC Act was fraught with “weaknesses.”

Dr Khan called for the fixing of those flaws.

He said under the Act, the HCC was required to constitute a committee of medical experts as technical members but it hadn’t been formed yet.

The association leader said that a technical committee should be constituted, like the one existing in the Punjab province, with the representation of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan and general medical practitioners, young doctors, and Pakistan Medical Association.

He complained that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa neither had that technical committee nor was there any role for stakeholders in the relevant matters.

Dr Khan said under the Health Regulatory Authority Act, 2010, which was replaced by the HCC Act, 2015, the district health officers and hospital medical superintendents were part of the district inspection committee, but they had no role in the new law.

“The policing role of HCC inspectors needs some review because they, along with their teams, inspect clinics, diagnostic centres and hospitals before uploading the names of doctors with images of clinics on social media. This act is unwarranted and unlawful as well. Naming and shaming senior doctors despite their registration with PMDC should stop immediately,” he said.

The PDA president said that the HCC director (licensing) and inspectors should be medical doctors so that they could work as per the “standard protocol”, while the technical committee should be there like the one functioning in Punjab.

He said the DHO and hospital MS should be part of the district level committee.

“Seminars, meetings and conferences

should be held to raise public awareness of high-quality private healthcare services. The HCC should first launch an anti-quackery campaign and then focus on registration of healthcare workers,” he said.

Dr Khan said the commission should provide security, life insurance and free lawyer’s facility to all registered health facilities besides not increasing registration fee.

“The HCC shouldn’t unilaterally introduce or implement any policy regarding registration, fee structure, training, and other health-related decisions without taking on board the doctors’ community and association,” he said.

The PDA president complained that the current fee structure, registration with HCC and training programme were not acceptable to the healthcare community, so there should be a proper consultation with those stakeholders on the matter.

He said that the commission had serious concerns about the HCC’s financial management and proposed that all financial matters related to HCC be shifted to the director-general (health services).

Dr Khan said that the HCC was a tax-collection body, so all types of fee collection, registration fees, penalty imposed, and other funds should be directly deposited in the provincial consolidated fund with authorisation for its utilisation being with the health department after the approval of the health secretary or DG.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024