Call for govt to address costly private hospitals

 THE Government has been urged to regulate high fees charged by private health facilities in the country.

Tambul-Nebilyer MP Benjamin Poponawa urged Health Minister Michael Malabag, pictured, in Parliament last Friday to regulate fees charged by private health facilities.

He thanked the government for the free health care policy but said that there were other problems attached to it.

“If you go to the public health facilities, it’s all full, it’s overcrowded and some of these people die before getting there or even sitting in queues waiting to be treated,” Poponawa said.

“In fear of dying while waiting, some people end up in private hospitals. 

“But do you know what happens at the private hospitals?

“They say you have to pay a consultation fee and the consultation fee is K200. 

“Some charge K100 – without doing anything. Just the consultation fee.”

Poponawa said people died because they could not afford the high fees charged.

Malabag agreed that private health facilities’ fees were very expensive.

“(But) in reality, we do not regulate any set fees for them,” he said.

“As you can see under the new policy we have now, we are controlling the public health system especially the rates of fees being charged.

“For private clinics, definitely not at this stage. 

“But as a government, we know that a lot of people when they do not receive services at the public hospital they still go to private clinics. 

“I will get our department to look at affordability.”

Gumine MP Lukas Dekena suggested that the Government could subsidise private health care for people and to introduce an insurance policy for health care.