BAHAWALNAGAR: The services of the Sehat Sahulat Programme (SSP) in some of the private hospitals across the district have been suspended for the last eight days over the matter of uncertified and bogus anesthetists employed by them.

After a complaint was filed in this regard, the senior district medical officer (SDMO) was instructed by the Multan Zonal Office of the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan not only to verify the degrees and documents of the anesthetists working in the private hospitals on the Sehat programme panel but also check their presence during surgeries after citizens complained against the hospitals for hiring bogus anesthetists and quacks to perform anesthesia and surgeries.

A letter, issued by the State Life Zonal Office Multan on Nov 2 (a copy available with Dawn), instructed the Bahawalnagar SDMO to ensure implementation of protocols at the panel hospitals.

The letter instructed the SDMO to collect and verify the CNICs, certificates of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) or Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) and MoU (contract) of the anesthetists with the hospital.

Action taken against 18 hospitals; services at five still suspended

The letter further demanded halting new admissions of patients to such hospitals as had no proper anesthetists and keep the services suspended till the availability of certified anesthetists.

Following the instructions, the SDMO had suspended the Sehat card services of all 18 private hospitals in the district, however, later the services were resumed in about a dozen hospitals that ensured certified anesthetists. Sources claim that there are still five hospitals where services are suspended for not having certified experts.

Some PMDC/PMC certified anesthetists, while requesting anonymity, alleged that the illegal practice was going on for months with the connivance of the DMOs and officials of the insurance company of the Multan region. They said because of the indifference of the relevant authorities, quackery was being promoted and the private hospitals were encouraged to compromise patients’ health.

The anesthetists claimed that several hospitals, having the capacity of merely 5 to 10 surgeries a day, were doing 30 to 50 surgeries a day by ignoring precautions. He added that this ratio was 200 times higher compared to the period when these hospitals were not affiliated with the Sehat Sahulat Programme. They claimed that a big racket was involved in the scam, which could be unearthed if the authorities initiated an inquiry into the matter.

Confirming the allegations, Chaudhry Qamar Muneer, a complainant, told Dawn that in response to his complaint, registered on Pakistan Citizen’s Portal on Sept 22, about hiring of quacks at the private panel hospitals, DMO Dr Atiya gave him a shut-up call instead of investigating the matter whereas the insurance company officials also showed their disinterest.

On Nov 1, DMO Dr Atiya confirmed to this scribe that Mr Qamar had contacted her but claimed that anesthetists were hired after verification of their documents.

The same day, Zonal Head of State Life Khawar Majeed also confirmed to this scribe that he had received a complaint about the matter. Declaring it a sensitive matter, he vowed to take immediate notice of the issue. He claimed the company’s monitoring team was always busy inspecting such types of misconducts and the elements involved in such types of cases had been nabbed and punished in the past.

The next day, on Nov 2, the Multan zonal office of the insurance corporation issued a letter to the SDMO for taking action against such panel hospitals as were violating the project protocols.

SMDO Dr Sidra told Dawn that services were suspended in all SSP panel hospitals across the district after receiving instructions from the State Life on Nov 2. She said the services were later resumed in those hospitals, which proved that they had hired certified anesthetists. However, services in many hospitals are still suspended and they would not be resumed until implementation of protocols.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2022