DOHA: Qatar may soon have more private hospitals to meet the increasing demand from citizens and expatriates with an expansion of the mandatory national health insurance scheme (Seha).
“We have received applications to open new private hospitals. The government has allotted five plots to set up new hospitals in partnership with the private sector,” Minister of Public Health H E Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani told this daily.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a news conference on Thursday to provide an update on Seha.
Seha, which covers all citizens and is scheduled to be expanded to expatriates next year, provides more choices to beneficiaries in terms of healthcare facilities.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) earlier announced a joint plan to set up five hospitals with private investment on a “build and operate” basis. The hospitals will be for women and child care, mental health and other relevant specialities.
Addressing the media earlier, the Minister refuted claims about crowding in private hospitals following implementation of Seha.
There is no data showing there is a direct relation between crowding in some hospitals and implementation of the insurance scheme, he said.
The insurance scheme has given the private sector an opportunity to compete with public healthcare facilities. They must upgrade standards and develop capacity to meet this challenge, he noted. He, however, added that there are some areas like cancer and eye care which still require specialised services of the public sector.
On complaints about delays in payment of medical bills to the private sector by National Health Insurance Company (NHIC), the state-backed service provider, he said both sides are responsible for the delay. It is partly caused by delays in providing required data to NHIC by private facilities.
The Peninsula
