The National Assembly Standing Committee on Capital Administration and Development (CAD) on Wednesday approved Injured Person (Medical Aid) Amendment Bill with the aim to make medical professionals more accountable in case of negligence towards patients.
The committee passed the bill, but directed Secretary CAD to define clearly medical negligence and incorporate it in the bill before submitting the bill in the National Assembly. The meeting was presided over by Jamshaid Ahmad Dasti Chairman of the committee and MNA Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Chaudhary Asghar Ali Jatt, Belum Hasnain, Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli, Dr Araish Kumar, Sabeen Rizvi, Bushra Rehman, Secretary CAD Riffat Shaheen, Executive Director (ED) Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences PIMS, Dr Riaz Warraich, Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) Chairman, Atif Mehmood Kiyani and representatives of different private schools also attended the meeting.
The Injured Persons (Medical Aid) Act was introduced by the government in 2004 to ensure that patients' concerns are addressed. It is pertinent to mention that the bill was moved by Nosheen Saeed. ED PIMS Riaz Warraich told the committee before submitting the bill in the National Assembly that it is mandatory to define minor, grave and intermediate negligence. On this Jashmaid Dasti directed Secretary CAD to define negligence properly in co-ordination with ED PIMS to make the bill more meaningful.
Jamshaid Dasti said that the amendments, which are meant only for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), but it would also control the medical negligence in the other parts of the country in future. The bill is meant for the people of Pakistan who are ignored at every healthcare centre across the country, but initially for ICT area, he said.
Nuasheen Saeed said that the purpose of the amendments proposed in the bill is to put in place checks and balance for deterrence of medical negligence in all cases. The bill will give more right to injured persons and poor patients to directly punish the negligent doctors instead of wasting time before the office of medical officers who are never available for helpless patients, she said.
Under the proposed amendment bill medical professionals who found guilty for negligence would be jailed for one year and fine of Rs 0.1 million. Secretary CAD said that CDA will constitute a committee consists of representatives of PIMS, Polyclinic and a senior official from CAD for investigation of negligence on the part of the doctor. However, most of the members of the committee did not agreed with the proposal made by Secretary CAD.
The committee directed secretary CAD to submit a report about the fee structure of all private educational institutions functioning in the city before the next meeting. The committee also asked the CAD to submit a report about the homosexual debate held in the educational institutions and also issued directives to take effective measure to avert such a shameful act in future.
Secretary CAD Riffat Shaheen informed the committee that presently there is no law to regulate fee structure of private educational institutions due to which no check on private educational institutions. She said that CAD has submitted a bill in this regard in the National Assembly to register and regulate private educational institutions in the ICT and to ensure uniform policy regarding curricula, duration of academic sessions and holidays.
Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi said that there is a dire need to make serious efforts for the betterment of education. It is our duty to ensure uniform education system as well as to keep check on the education institutions. The committee expressed anger over the absence of Capital Development Authority's (CDA) officials in the meeting.