DOHA: In a new initiative, private firms will operate at least four primary healthcare centres in Doha soon.
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has invited tenders to choose the operators and the bidding process is in progress, a senior official of Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) has disclosed. Dr Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director, PHCC, said the private operators will provide all healthcare services but the facilities will continue to be managed by PHCC.
PHCC’s 2013-2014 report last October said privately-operated health centres will be allowed to compete with state-backed facilities, with implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (Seha). The initiative is part of the five-year National Primary Healthcare Strategy, said Dr Abdulmalik.
Initially four health centres in Doha will be operated by the private sector, with more expected to be added later. Staff will also be provided by the private operators.
“There will be partnership (of the private operators) with us. The health centres will be under the management of PHCC, but they (the private operators) will provide the services on our behalf,” said Dr Abdulmalik, in response to a question from The Peninsula during a news conference.
“We have a bid for that. It’s the plan according to the partnership. The (PHCC) strategy encourages us to do that. We are working on it (to choose the private operators) but yet we don’t know who will be selected. They are supposed to follow and meet the PHCC accreditations standards. Staff will be provided by them. We will start with four health centres within Doha,” she said.
PHCC will open six new health centres across the country this year to meet the health requirements of the increasing population, she added. It has been providing services through 21 health centres for many decades.
The first facility will be opened in Al Ubeib to be operational by the end of the first quarter of the year. The project also includes the first wellness centre in Al Ebb. It will be a health centre with special facilities such as swimming pool, sports clubs, spa, medicine and foot care, healthy food services, healthy cooking lessons and a cafeteria. The wellness centres will work with families to maintain fitness of family members and their psychological and nutrition health which has a direct impact on public health.
“Supporting patients in their health will lead them to be more energetic and productive at work which will lead to better health and reduce their use of medical services,” said Dr Abdulmalik.
Wellness centres in Al Roda, Rawdat Al Khail, and Umm Salal will open subsequently. And the sixth facility in Al Ghwaireya will be a regular health centre.
Another 13 health centres will open between 2016 and 2018 and those in Al Kraana and Ghuwairiya will be renovated.
“We have plans for 19 new health centres by 2018 and six will be handed over to PHCC by Ashghal this year,” she said.
As part of upgrading services, access to patient records will be made possible from all health centres once the Clinical Information System (CIS) is fully implemented by 2016.
Dr Abdulmalik said even if there is a delay in transferring people from one health centre to another, following a change in their residence, it will be possible to access case records through CIS.
CIS has been implemented in three health centres and the fourth will be the West Bay Health Centre in February.
PHCC is expanding its facilities and services and has hired 83 new doctors with various specialities throughout 2014, which reflected a 14.3 percent increase in the number of doctors, added Dr Abdulmalik.
The Peninsula
