KARACHI – Four years after the bill was drafted, the Sindh Health Department has once again decided to move the draft of the ‘Sindh Registration and Regulation of Private Hospitals and Clinics Bill-2011’ in the provincial assembly for the final approval.
The Health Department has sent the draft of the bill to the Sindh chief secretary for official formalities, after which it would be sent to the provincial assembly through the Chief Minister’s House.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the Health Department had constituted a detailed draft of the ordinance four years ago after increasing reports of complaints against private hospitals and clinics throughout the province.
However, the previous government had not moved the bill in the provincial assembly for its final approval, they added.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Health Secretary Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi confirmed that the proposed draft of the bill would soon be tabled in the legislative assembly.
After the implementation of this bill, the Health Department would be able to take action throughout the province against all private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, blood banks, nursing homes, maternity homes and even quacks and hakeems, who are not registered or violating basic health rules.
“Many private hospitals and clinics are not registered and violate basic healthcare rules. Some major hospitals such as the Aga Khan University Hospital are charging exorbitant fees, but in absence of proper legislation, we are unable to take action against them,” said Zaidi.
“It has become quite common that quacks administer wrong injections and kill patients. There are also reports of hospitals not having trained doctors or charging higher fees and after the bill’s approval, we would be able to act against them,” the health secretary said.
