PESHAWAR: Despite Peshawar High Court's (PHC) directives issued two years ago, the health department has not fixed consultation fees for doctors and rates for diagnostic services in the private sector, as per the officials.
In July 2020, upon citizens complaints, PHC ordered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Healthcare Commission (KP-HCC) to fix the charges for medical tests, including COVID-19 and dengue, in consultation with private laboratories.
Officials said that no progress was made on the issue as KP-HCC was not empowered under the law to do so.
They said that Punjab HCC was authorised to fix consultation fees and rates for private diagnosis centres, but in KP, the law did not authorise the commission to declare rates for laboratory tests, X-rays, MRI and CT scans or consultation fees of doctors.
They acknowledged that it was a big issue for patients to pay a high fee for tests and checkups at private laboratories and hospitals. Officials said that many junior consultants received more fees than the senior ones, while the rates for laboratory investigations also varied from one centre to another.
They further informed that KP-HCC had already compiled data of all the hospitals in the public and private sectors; however, an amendment through provincial assembly was required.
