DOHA: People can now access the price lists of private hospitals and clinics in the country on the website of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).
The price lists are available in Arabic and English.
“We have posted on our website all the available price lists, especially those of dental clinics, so that people can check and compare the prices. No facility is permitted to charge more than what is officially announced and they are required to display the prices at their premises in a prominent way,” Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, director of the Quality Management Department at SCH told this daily yesterday.
The Department had asked all private healthcare facilities to submit their detailed price lists, as a precondition for renewal of their licences. All these facilities are also required to take permission from the SCH before announcing any hike in
their prices. “These measures are intended to keep the prices under control, until the national insurance scheme is implemented. Complaints about the high fees charged by private clinics and hospitals will become irrelevant once all the citizens and expatriates are covered by health insurance,” said Al Khanji.
He said, the private healthcare sector is becoming more competitive with new clinics coming up.
“Competition among private healthcare facilities will ultimately benefit the customers but we should make sure that they are not compromising on the quality of the services,” he added.
When pointed out that several new clinics are struggling to attract patients, he said, this is because of their poor management.
“Several clinics were closed down in the recent past mainly due to their poor planning and poor management. With the growing population in the country, there is demand for more private clinics and hospitals, especially in the specialised areas. However, the success of a facility depends on many factors including the location and how it is managed,” said Al Khanji.
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has not issued any new licences to open private hospitals in the country and nobody is permitted to establish hospitals based on approvals given years ago, a senior SCH official has said.
“Some approvals to open hospitals were given during 2006 and 2007. But those who have got such approvals must submit new project proposals, with all the required details.
“We have received proposals from several companies but none of them have been given the final approval until now,” Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, director of the Quality Management Department at SCH said yesterday.
The Peninsula
