DOHA: The Advisory Council has urged the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) to review its decision to phase out by 2013 all private clinics in Qatar run by general practitioners.
In its ordinary session on Monday, the Council discussed the issue in detail and came to the conclusion that the decision to completely phase out such facilities was unjustified and could increase the pressure on the public healthcare facilities in the country.
The Council also asked the health authorities to control the "unreasonable" prices being charged by some private healthcare facilities, especially dental clinics.
The Medical Licensing Department at the SCH had recently announced that all private clinics run by general practitioners will be phased out in three years, as a specialist degree has been made mandatory for physicians seeking a licence to operate a clinic.
The department had asked all general practitioners running private clinics to either upgrade their status to a specialist or find jobs in other clinics or hospitals operated by specialists. However, they have been given three years to comply with the new requirements.
The Advisory Council, however, felt that there was no justification in closing down such facilities since a mechanism is in place in the country to monitor the functioning of all private clinics and hospitals.
The Council noted that many of these clinics had been operating in the country for many years and had earned a good reputation among the people.
With a fast growing population, Qatar has been facing a shortage of healthcare facilities, and the closure of several existing clinics could aggravate the situation, it said.
When asked for his comments on the Advisory Council's proposal, Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, acting director of the Medical Licensing Department, told The Peninsula yesterday that the department would soon explain its position to the Council.
"Of the nearly 700 private healthcare facilities in the country, the clinics run by general practitioners are only 60. The closure of these facilities is not likely to create any serious problem, since hundreds of new private clinics are going to be established in the country in the near future," said Al Khanji.
He added that the decision was taken to improve the quality of healthcare services in the country.
"We have given three years' time to phase out these clinics and there is enough time to assess the impact of the decision," said Al Khanji.
By Mohammed Iqbal
© The Peninsula 2010
