A
well intentioned proposal to give patients (in this case, in house patients in
Government Hospitals) an indication of the cost of their treatment has come
under fire by the GMOA before it even debuts!
I
do believe patients who receive free treatment MUST be aware of the Cost the
Government expends on their treatment, so that our citizens are aware of how
much is being spent on the healthcare system in the country, and hopefully will
not abuse the system in place. The latter wish is unlikely to be granted, as we
waste subsidized resources in an irresponsible way. An appreciation at least is enough!
Then,
when a patient leaves the hospital, he or she will walk away with a rough idea
of the cost of their care and more often than not be surprised as to how much
hospital stay actually is! We in Sri Lanka tend to abuse the hospital stays,
requiring doctors to keep us for longer. However doctors DO keep us in hospital
as a precaution, fearing that our home conditions may be too hazardous with
regards to contracting secondary infections. It is ironic that one of the main
reasons other than cost, where patients are discharged as soon as practical in
Overseas hospitals is due to the concern of catching lifethreatening penicillin
resistant bacterial infections IN Hospitals!
The
concerns raised by the GMOA, were that the cost will be higher than in the
Private Sector, thereby encouraging the private sector (PS) to raise their
fees, by saying that the Govt sector charges are higher. It is important
therefore to avoid these conflicts, by just charging market rates, as adjusted,
for the lower level of services and amenities in the Public Sector. It is not necessary
to impute a real cost as I can say with confidence that it is fraught with too many
assumptions.
One
must look at costs that are higher than the private sector. Then we will know
if it is due to internal inefficiencies, and steps will be implemented to
reduce the costs. In this manner the real reason for adopting this novel
approach (as explained above) will bring positive results to the health-sector,
and perhaps some of the horrendous wastages in the Health Sector will be
eliminated with a possibility of reducing the costs, and therefore be more
productive with the Nations Wealth.
It’s
in everyone’s interest to stop the abuse of state subsidies for the greater good.
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