DOHA: Some unscrupulous private healthcare providers are literally looting the government by exorbitantly raising the charges for their medical services for Qataris under the free, mandatory national health insurance scheme for citizens (Seha), says the Advisory Council.
It has asked a key internal committee to study the issue and submit a detailed report for a threadbare discussion in the House so that extensive recommendations could be made to the government to curb the phenomenon.
The Council has reminded its services committee while asking it to study the issue that these irregularities are a drain on the state coffers and a sheer waste of public money as the government allocates huge chunks of its budget for health and education sectors for sustainable social development and society’s overall welfare.
A key member of the Council who blew the whistle and raised the issue in the House after which it was referred to the services committee for study, gave startling figures to justify his claim.
The figures, if correct, show how some greedy private healthcare providers are fooling the government to unscrupulously profit under the very nose of the monitoring agency — the state-owned National Health Insurance Company (NHIC).
Rashid Al Medadi said that these healthcare providers had raised their rates manifold after the free mandatory health insurance scheme was introduced for Qataris two years ago.
Giving examples, he said a tooth implant earlier cost QR7,500 and now costs QR11,250.
Similarly, the fee for circumcision was QR2,800 earlier, which is now a mind-boggling QR14,200. An adenoids operation for children cost QR6,000 earlier, which now cost as much as QR22,000.
According to Al Medadi, a surgery for sinusitis cost QR14,700 previously which presently cost QR36,200.
“This is nothing but greed and looting,” said Al Medadi, tabling the matter in the House for a debate yesterday.
He faulted the NHIC and said it was its duty to closely monitor the private healthcare providers.
Taking part in the discussion at the Council’s weekly meeting, Mohamed Abdullah Al Sulaiti, an observer, said that nationals were prompted to visit private hospitals and clinics to take advantage of the free medical services available under the mandatory health insurance scheme because government hospitals were crowded and getting an appointment with specialist doctors was so difficult.
Al Sulaiti said that there was the need to rein in these greedy private healthcare providers so they did not puts financial strains on the state budget.
The Peninsula
