DOHA: The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) received more than 180 complaints about doctors and other healthcare practitioners this year a majority of which were related to errors in diagnosis and treatment, according to SCH data.
The Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP), the body at SCH responsible for licensing and monitoring healthcare practitioners has set up an electronic system to receive complaints from the public about practitioners and facilities.
QCHP receives complaints about practitioners in the private and public sectors. It investigates complaints and take action against erring practitioners. Action was taken on 69 complaints received during the current year, shows data released by the QCHP.
Complaints varied from medical errors to behaviour of the practitioners. Of the 181 complaints received during 2014, the highest number (40) were related to incorrect examination/assessment/ diagnosis and treatment by doctors. Complaints about “adverse treatment outcome” came next, at 37. The QCHP received 32 complaints about practitioners allegedly violating the law while 18 complaints were related to their behaviour and communication. Nine complaints were about practitioners working without a licence or outside the scope of their permitted area of practice or specialisation.
Other major complaints were about payment, denial of appointment, overcharging, long waiting time and lack of parking at hospitals and clinics. The number of complaints in these categories amounted to 45.
The QCHP data shows that the procedures for issuing/renewing licences to healthcare practitioners has been made faster with implementation of a new electronic system. For instance, in September it took an average of 47 days to process a licence application which fell to 28 in October and further to 11both in November and December. The time taken for renewing a licence declined from 43 days to 7 days over the same period. Procedures for changing the place of work or scope of practice (of a practitioner) have also become faster.
The QCHP has gone online to cope with a rapid increase in the number of practitioners, especially in the private sector. It is anticipating a 140 percent increase in the number of private healthcare practitioners in the next five years, with an expected 27 percent increase every year.
The number of people visiting the SCH counters providing services related to licensing has also dropped significantly with introduction of the online services, shows the data.
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