Govt hospital autonomy : Two trustees on way

Government hospitals in the Kingdom will “very soon” have their financial and functional autonomy as the government is busy completing procedures to make them more patient-centric. The realisation of the move will be based on the formation of two trustees as all other steps have been given the regulatory green light. “This restructure will happen very soon. All other steps have been taken, so the appointment of the council could be any time now,” Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Waleed Khalifa Al Manea said.

“This can further improve the quality of services offered at healthcare centres and would promote efficiency and proactiveness. “This is a positive step for the government as well as for optimum utilisation of resources,” said Dr Waleed Khalifa Al Manea The move, the Undersecretary said, will make healthcare facilities more patient-centric. One of the two trustees will handle primary healthcare, while the other will monitor secondary healthcare. Besides, CEOs will be appointed for hospitals as part of the arrangement. The trustees, according to Dr Al Manea, will facilitate the healthcare sector as Ministry will then no longer be involved as a regulator.

Both government health centres and government hospitals will also be granted autonomy. “With this step, the facilities will have the flexibility to make decisions on their own,” the Undersecretary said. “Historically the lack of flexibility has hindered the ability of the facilities to make quick decisions as they needed to take permission and help from various government agencies. The decision will also bestow upon all autonomous institution tremendous responsibilities. “They will generate their own income and have own CEO as well as various administrative departments,” said Dr Al Manea adding: “They will also have control over the recruitment and termination of employees and will no longer have to rely on various government entities.”

Bahrain’s healthcare sector is expected to see a lot of developments next year as a Social Health Insurance Programme (Sehati) will also be launched.  One of the main objectives of the National Health Plan (2016-2025), is the adoption of the Social Health Insurance Program (SEHATI), to develop the quality of the current health system and ensure sustainability. This system is meant to revolutionise the local health sector through better utilisation of the available resources while overcoming pressing challenges, which are mainly due to the rapid increase in population and shifting demographics.