In pursuit of profits, private hospitals willing to compromise medical ethics

[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="In pursuit of profits, private hospitals willing to compromise medical ethics" ids="109004,109005,109006"] DOCTORS at private hospitals, often with the full blessings of their management, neglect their professional responsibilities toward patients by compromising the very medical ethics they have sworn by. Al-Riyadh daily reports how such doctors ask patients to undergo unnecessary and expensive medical tests that serve no purpose other than to fatten the pockets of the hospitals or private practices they work at. These tests leave patients frustrated and those in lower income brackets often incur debt to pay for tests they never needed. According to Dr. Abdullah Al-Fayez, economic planning consultant, many private hospitals take advantage of patients and overcharge them while others pose a threat to public health due to their failure to comply with hygiene and infection control requirements. “Such hospitals do not get their medical equipment checked periodically. Failure to meet such requirements can cause infectious diseases to spread. The Ministry of Health should intensify its inspection visits to all private hospitals and ensure that they offer services that are commensurate with charges. Some private hospitals require insured patients to undergo unnecessary medical investigations just to charge insurance companies for these services,” he said. Dr. Al-Fayez said the ministry should unify medical service prices and keep a close eye on the doctors and technicians who overcharge patients and try to market certain medications for their own benefit and to get commission from pharmaceutical companies. “Unfortunately, even pharmacists market the medications of certain pharmaceutical companies to get commissions,” he added. Dr. Salih Al-Ghamdi, consultant cardiologist, said private hospitals typically do not hire well-qualified doctors and instead tend to hire doctors with modest qualifications so that they can pay them lower salaries. This eventually ends up costing patients as these low-paid doctors find other means of supplementing their incomes. “I know hospitals and polyclinics that are run by unqualified managers or the owners themselves who do not have any medical background or even experience in running medical facilities. The sad thing is many owners are ready to do whatever it takes to increase revenue. The Ministry of Health needs to monitor the performance of these facilities and impose hefty fines and penalties on their owners for mismanagement,” he pointed out. Dr. Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, a member of the Saudi Economic Association, agreed that some private hospitals and polyclinics do not comply with the ministry’s medical procedures. As a result, the doctors in the private sector commit medical errors. He noted that most private hospitals force doctors to ask patients to undergo unnecessary medical tests in order to generate additional revenue from insurance companies. “These corrupt practices are rampant in some hospitals and will further spread in the private sector if the concerned authorities do not take drastic actions and pay regular inspection visits to the hospitals. Some doctors have low morals and will readily violate medical ethics for money. In fact, many hospitals hold their doctors accountable if the latter fail to bring in a certain level of profits for the hospital. How much a doctor charges a patient is more important than how well the doctor performs his medical duties,” he explained. Dr. Ahmad Al-Shammari, deputy dean of the Business Administration College, Al-Majmah University, said the best way to end such corrupt practices is to name and shame violators of the medical code and the ministry’s regulations. “This is the only way to raise the safety and quality standards of medical services in the private sector,” he said.