Saturday, November 23, 2024

Health Ministry directs private hospitals to publish service charges

Kathmandu, Nov. 21

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has instructed private medical colleges and public hospitals to make their service charges publicly available. This move follows complaints from the service seekers about overcharging patients.

Following the complaints from several citizens about being unaware of the charges for medical services, Health and Population Minister Pradeep Paudel on Thursday issued the directive, emphasising the need for transparency so that everyone can access and understand the fee structures.

Responding to the minister’s intervention, the Ministry’s Quality Measurement and Regulation Division has issued a circular requiring healthcare institutions to publish their service charges.

In the letter, the ministry has asked all health institutions to display their fees on their websites and ensure that patients can easily access this information. Hospitals and medical colleges have also been instructed to disclose details such as charges for surgeries, bed categories, radiology services, and laboratory tests. Additionally, fees for tickets and other services must also be published for public awareness.

“The ministry will monitor whether the institutions have complied with the directives,” said Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, Spokesperson of the MoHP. “In the first phase, inspections will be conducted. If there is non-compliance, action will be taken as per the rules,” he added.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 22 November 2024.  

No comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Story

Govt prepares primary draft of DRR Policy

Kathmandu, Apr. 29: The government has prepared the preliminary report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy and Strategic ...