The health ministry is set to take over supervision of the country’s national health system (GHS) under new legislation being discussed in parliament.
The reform will abolish the current Health System Supervision Commissioner role, transferring oversight responsibilities to the ministry, which will handle complaints against both the Health Insurance Organisation and healthcare providers.
The parliamentary health committee began reviewing the legislation last week, with discussions expected to continue in early March.
The reform is crucial for establishing a new Patient Advocate institution, which will handle patient rights issues both within and outside the national health system, officials said.
Under the proposed law, the ministry will investigate complaints about healthcare service decisions, actions, or omissions, with a 12-month statute of limitations for filing grievances.
Ministry officials will have authority to conduct unannounced inspections of healthcare facilities and access relevant documents, though investigations will not be public, according to the draft legislation.
“The ministry will handle complaints from any legal or natural person who is a healthcare provider”, a senior health ministry official told philenews.
