Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Who Benefits from Fixing Doctor Fees?

The recent decision of the Minister of Health to fix physician fees in private clinics is a baseless act of policy confusion.
First and foremost, no legal provision allows the Ministry of Health to touch the private market with regulations. Ideally, Doctors’ Syndicate is the one who is supposed to propose regulations to the Ministry of Health and the cabinet.
Even if the Minister of Health allows himself jurisdiction over the private health market, the common sense is to do so in the best interest of the people. Fixing doctor fees is having unequal consequences in different geographic areas of Kurdistan. An ill person in Sluaimaniah may be hurt because of it while a person in Halwer will benefit. This is a consequence of the unequal socio-economic status of the people of this culturally, economically and politically diverse region. Such a decision will undermine the ability of the health system to provide universal coverage to the majority will diminish financial risks and will hurt efficiency in the delivery of health care services to the people of Kurdistan.
Furthermore, the decision is in total disagreement with the open market policies of the cabinet in general. The basic principle is clear; the government needs to intervene to prevent or fix market failures. These may arise as a result of the dominance of market monopoly. Fixing doctor fees will distort the natural power of competition and will prevent it from lowering costs and improving quality.
The Minister of Health should remember that he is responsible for not only the physical, mental and social wellbeing of the people of Kurdistan, but also their financial health. We don’t want our people to be one doctor’s visit away from bankruptcy and poverty. He should immediately suspend such a decision, otherwise the impression that he may be doing this for his own interest could gain credibility. Being a surgeon with a clinic in the market supports the evidence that the Minister is abusing his public position for private gains.

1 comment:

  1. If you are interested in condemning this decision, please visit; http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/physicianfees/signatures

    ReplyDelete