PESHAWAR: The institution-based practice (IBP) lunched by the government at the tertiary care hospitals as part of its reforms programme in health sector has been affecting private clinics and hospitals as the number of patients benefiting from the new system has been increasing with the passing of time, according to statistics.

Last year, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government started IBP at the four public sector medical teaching hospitals of the province in line with Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015, to utilise the official infrastructure in the evening shift, provide quality care to private patients and generate revenue for the health facilities concerned.

In the past one year of IBP, more than 100,000 patients were seen at Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital contrary to the notions that the system would fail.

Prof Shehzad Akbar Khan, the medical director of HMC, told Dawn that they had examined about 28,000 patients during IBP and provided specialised diagnostic and treatment services to them under one roof.

Number of patients at govt hospitals increasing with passing of time

“We have got services of 23 specialists in IBP. Each of them charges Rs1,000 consultation fee of which Rs100 are deducted as income tax and Rs100 goes to the hospital’s fund,” he said. He added received 100 per cent investigations of the patients were carried out inside the hospital.

“The number of patients has been increasing because we have state-of-the-art operation theatres, MRI, CT scanners and highly trained staffers owing to which people feel the difference compared to private sector,” said Prof Shehzad.

A senior physician at Khyber Teaching Hospital said that the main benefit of IBP for patients was availability of doctors and other staff, who were employees of the hospital.

He said that in private sector, there were non-qualified people too, who worked as specialists or as technicians while the government hospitals got intensive care units and all arrangements in operation theatres to deal with critically-ill patients.

“In the entire Dabgari Gardens, which is the hub of private medical activities in the city, there is no ICU due to which the patients develop complications. In the private sector, there are different charges for different investigation compared to KTH where patients pay uniform fee,” he said.

KTH spokesman Farhad Khan said that about 26,000 patients were examined in the last one year. “We have deployed 30 specialists, who charge only Rs600 as consultation fee. It is a big relief for the patients, who pay Rs1,000 to Rs1,500 as fee in private clinics,” he said.

LRH is leading as far as number of patients in IBP is concerned because it started the new system by the middle of 2016 and has the services of more than 40 specialists. The hospital has so far provided treatment to about 45,000 patients.

Officials said that private sector was feeling the heat of the new system as patients were coming to the public sector hospitals.

“In private sector, the patients have to go from one building to another to get their investigations done. The patients don’t have any criteria to judge the credibility of the diagnostic centre but follow the instructions of their doctors,” said Mr Khan. He added that in IBP, patients got their tests done on the same premises and by genuine doctors and technicians.

However, the doctors doing IBP have their own grievances. Only IBP consultants in LRH get financial incentives while those working at KTH and HMC don’t have special incentives as promised by the government.

A senior surgeon said that most of the consultants were ready to start IBP provided they were given additional benefits on the pattern of LRH. He added that IBP doctors left their well-established clinics and deserved government’s attention to make the system more successful.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2018