The regulatory mechanism is expected to be implemented along with the proposed national insurance scheme. The special committee that is working on details of the insurance scheme is also looking into ways to control the medical fees in the private sector, an SCH official said yesterday.
“There is a need to regulate and unify the fee structure of private healthcare facilities. This issue has been seriously studied by the SCH and a mechanism will soon be worked out,” a senior SCH official told The Peninsula yesterday.
Most of the private clinics and hospitals have hiked their fees of late citing a rise in operational costs as the reason. The consultation fee for a general practitioner ranges from QR50 to QR100. As for specialists, the fee may go up to QR200 or even more depending on the specialisation and the nature of the clinic or the hospital.
Dentistry, gynaecology, dermatology, and ophthalmology are some of the most expensive medical specialities in the private sector, due to the high cost of laboratory tests and examinations as well as the treatment.
A blood test in a private laboratory or clinic costs a minimum of QR50 while a chest x-ray is priced at QR125. The prices of more sophisticated medical tests are simply unaffordable for the majority of the people.
Some private practitioners, while agreeing with the need for regulating the fees, said this could be done effectively only through a government-controlled national insurance scheme.
“While implementing the insurance scheme, all medical fees in the private sector will have to be standardised. Insurance companies will then force the practitioners and the facilities to comply with these standards. Those who do not fall in line will not be able to work under the system,” said a private physician.
Several concerned residents have also called for strict monitoring of fees in private clinics and hospitals. “The consumer protection department monitors the prices of commodities in the country. I wonder why there is no system to control medical fees,” said a resident.
Despite the high fees, many people have been forced to rely on private practitioners due to crowding and long waiting periods in the hospitals of the Hamad Medical Corporation and the primary health centres.