Private hospitals panned for fleecing patients

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some residents of Kabul have raised concerns at the high cost of medication and tests at private hospitals, assailing doctors for prescribing patients unnecessary procedures.

In response, the Private Hospitals Union says it opposes such practices and will take action if they are identified at any hospital.

A resident of Kabul’s Ahmad Shah Baba Mina area, Kaptan, told Pajhwok Afghan News he was prescribed additional tests and medication during visits to private hospitals.

“They charge 30 afghanis for a medicine worth 10 afghanis, and there’s no one to question it,” he claimed.

Sayed Alam, hailing from Kart-e-Naw area, is suffering from a neurological condition. He slammed not only the high cost of medication at private hospitals, but also the quality of their services.

“They charge us 700 or 800 afghanis for a medicine that should cost 500 afs. Its quality is poor; it doesn’t work,” he commented, expressing frustration with his persisting condition.

Shukurullah, a resident of Shakar Dara district, highlighted the financial challenges many Kabul inhabitants faced. Limited income prevented him from treatment at private hospitals, he added.

He called on the government to regulate the prices of medication and tests in these hospitals and to curb exploitative business practices.

No tolerance of unnecessary tests

Mujib-ur-Rahman Nasiri, head of the Private Hospitals Union, acknowledged that Afghanistan was a consumer country heavily dependent on imports of essential goods and medications, driving up the cost of medical treatment at private hospitals.

He explained, “We spend around 900 afghanis on electricity supply to a single patient’s room, and a nurse’s salary per night is 700 afghanis. Around 90 percent of private hospitals are operating in commercial buildings, adding to the cost.”

While prescribing unnecessary investigations was the doctor’s discretion, the union does not condone such practices, according to Nasiri.

He assured if any private hospital was found involved in these activities, the union would intervene to prevent it.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) claims to have made significant strides in controlling the prices of tests and medicines at private hospitals. It says efforts are ongoing to further regulate such hospitals.

Dr. SharafatZamanAmr, a spokesman for the MoPH, explained that, based on the current landscape of private hospital services, costs have been temporarily controlled.

He also noted the ministry had been in discussions with the private sector and hospital leaders, urging them to offer discounts to patients.

According to the Private Hospitals Union, since the return of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, around 200 new private hospitals have opened, bringing the number of such facilities in the country to approximately 700.

sa/mud

Views: 5