PHC moved to regulate tests’ rates for public, private labs

PESHAWAR: A lawyer has moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) for regulating the charges of the public and private sector hospitals as well as laboratories to bring uniformity.

The writ petition was filed by Saifullah Muhib Advocate to regulate the rates of private and public sector hospitals, clinics and laboratories and to launch a crackdown on quacks. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Ahmad Ali heard arguments in the case after accepting the writ petition. The petitioner argued that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Healthcare Commission was not properly functioning and was only providing licences to the doctors and clinics.

He added the body has never regulated the rates of laboratories of public and private sector which showed its officials were not performing their duties. He pointed out that in a case filed by the petitioner earlier against dengue epidemic the PHC had directed the officials concerned to carry out tests at low cost to facilitate the patients.

The laboratories used to charge thousands of rupees for dengue test but the rates were reduced to Rs350. The petitioner argued that now the authorities in their comments stated they have no authority to regulate rates of hospitals, laboratories and clinics. He submitted that at one hospital the rates were in hundreds and in other hospital the rates were above Rs10,000 which was grave injustice with the public at large.

The counsel for the Healthcare Commission stated that the body can only keep checks and balances on the public and private laboratories and had no powers under the act to fix rates. The court after hearing the arguments from both sides allowed the writ petition.