Striving to improve healthcare

TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Health received a total of 609 complaints against public hospitals and health centres in 2019, the Tribune has learnt.

Health Minister Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh recently confirmed this in her reply to a parliamentary query submitted by MP Sawsan Kamal, who asked her about the number of complaints received from patients against the medical staff in hospitals and health centres operating under the Ministry’s umbrella and the mechanism for receiving complaints.

The Minister explained that 332 out of the received complaints were submitted through the National Suggestions and Complaints System, Tawasul, while 123 were personally lodged at the Patients’ Complaints Office in the ministry.

A further 146 were made through the complaints and suggestion boxes installed at health centres. “The Patients’ Complaints Office at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) receives the complaint and addresses the concerned authority to resolve it in an optimal way and as quickly as possible,” said Minister Al Saleh in her reply.

“The Office also implements solutions to deal with patients’ complaints in a timely manner. It receives the complaint from the patients and their families so that appropriate solutions are found for them at the same time without delay, in line with the directives of the Prime Minister and the ministry’s vision to provide the best experiences and patients’ rights.”

She also noted that the ministry constantly strives to ensure patients’ rights at every stage of their treatment and at every step of the services provided to them, their families and their companions.

The Health Minister added that in the event that the complaint is not resolved or if there is a suspicion of negligence or a medical error, the complaint will be referred so the necessary legal procedures can be taken in accordance with the regulations of the Civil Service Bureau and the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).

“In order to develop services and to control the behaviour of its staff and the quality of its services, the ministry is concerned with all complaints that it receives from all channels, including complaints related to the quality of services and the behaviour of workers,” Minister Al Saleh said.