Criterion being framed to accommodate poor patients

Rawalpindi : The three teaching hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital would follow a certain criterion to accommodate poor patients after implementation of revised rates of user charges and at present, Rawalpindi Medical University and allied hospitals are working out the criterion.

We have received the notification issued by the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Punjab regarding implementation of revised rates of user charges yet its implementation may take few days, said Medical Superintendent at DHQ Hospital Dr. Khalid Randhawa when contacted by ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

According to a notification issued by the SH&ME Department on February 18 this year, the new rates would be effective with immediate effect in all specialized and tertiary care hospitals and district headquarters hospitals working under its control. We received hard copy of the notification today (on Wednesday), said Dr. Randhawa.

It is important that there is a tremendous increase in revised rates of user charges as compared to the existing charges being taken from the patients visiting public sector hospitals and if the new rates are implemented for all patients, it would hardly be possible for majority of patients to get treatment and diagnostic facilities in public sector.

Vice Chancellor of Rawalpindi Medical University and Chief Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Mohammad Umar when contacted by ‘The News’ on Wednesday said a certain criterion would be framed to continue to accommodate poor patients at the allied hospitals. New rates are not being implemented with immediate effect because we have to make certain arrangements for proper accommodation of patients, he said.

He added the RMU and allied hospitals are working on a criterion to minimize the financial burden on poor patients after implementation of new rates. We would like to categorize patients on the subject of charges and hope the poor patients would not suffer due to increase in user charges, he said.

In a day or two, we would be able to announce the criterion being laid down to accommodate non-affording patients at the allied hospitals after implementation of revised rates, said Professor Umar.