The health care sector is one of the most important sectors in any country, as it sees society interact and benefit from its services without any exception. Many people turn to private medical institutions for higher-quality services and shorter waiting times than public facilities.
With the expansion and spread of private medical institutions, newspapers and social media are constantly whimpering about the exploitation by some of these facilities of patients who are in dire need of medical services. I definitely believe that frequent complaints and random defamation of this exploitation will not lead to the expected outcomes if patients do not know their rights at private health facilities. For this reason, today we will be addressing the most important rights guaranteed by the Ministry of Health to beneficiaries of private medical services.
Initially, charging the patient for the opening of a file at a hospital or private clinic is a clear violation and must be reported immediately to the Ministry of Health.
The health institution must also provide the patient with sufficient information to enable him or her to give permission to proceed with the proposed treatment. This includes, of course, enabling the patient to discuss the care and services they will receive. Also, the patient must be informed by appropriate and explicit means of the impact of a refusal to undergo treatment on their condition and its complications.
In addition, the patient has the right to be made aware of the expected costs before starting the treatment through a clear and accurate report, which includes the value of each service, with the right to inquire about any point that may not be understood. The proper exercise of such rights will greatly contribute to the patient’s involvement in the therapeutic plan, which is another right and explicit commitment by the doctor.
Furthermore, the patient has the right to obtain information and sufficient reasons that indicate the need for specific diagnostic investigations to avoid any exploitation by the institutions with medical procedures that are essentially unnecessary.
For this reason, I strongly suggest establishing permanent and impartial committees to monitor and review patients’ files at various institutions to determine the extent to which the patients need to undergo diagnostic tests. Such committees will contribute to reducing the excessive demand for tests under the pretext of checking and reassuring the patient’s condition.
In the event of an emergency and regardless of the patient’s ability to bear the financial burden of treatment, the facility is obliged to provide emergency treatment immediately, without any delay, until the medical condition stabilizes. This right is linked to the duty of the doctor to provide the required emergency care.
As for medical reports, the patient is entitled to receive them free of charge — including sick leave reports.
Moreover, it is prohibited for the medical institution to require the patient to go to a particular pharmacy to get prescriptions or a specific laboratory to undergo tests or check-ups. The system ensures patients’ freedom to choose the pharmacy or laboratory they wish to use. This right addresses and confronts the illegal interests and benefits shared between some private hospitals and certain pharmacies and laboratories.
Intensifying the supervision of private medical facilities and issuing appropriate penalties to deter offenders is required, and should be supplemented by patients knowing their rights. Private medical institutions must also activate these rights through the proper development and modernization of their systems, regulations and internal policies, especially in light of the allocation of health services and partnership between the public and private sectors in accordance with the national transformation plans that we are currently witnessing.
Dimah Talal Alsharif is a Saudi legal consultant, head of the health law department at the law firm of Majed Garoub and a member of the International Association of Lawyers. Twitter: @dimah_alsharif
