Bahrain: Bahrainis who need healthcare that is unavailable in the country will no longer be sent abroad for treatment starting from next year.
The move, which will see doctors and medical experts flown in to treat patients instead, is part of a government drive to reduce unnecessary spending, Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh told the GDN.
It comes amid a backdrop of slumping oil prices and is aimed at slashing the BD25 million that is spent each year on treating Bahrainis abroad.
“It has to be implemented at the beginning of next year as I have made that commitment to the Cabinet,” said Ms Al Saleh.
“We can’t go on with the current system, it is not serving the intended purpose as it costs a lot and could be addressed by flying in doctors.
“We have contacted several hospitals and doctors who are experts in treating the illnesses that we cannot deal with here, such as certain types of cancers, and the response has been positive.”
At present, not only do Bahrainis have the cost of their treatment abroad met by the government, but they are also given flights, hotel accommodation and spending money.
This system was criticised in the latest Administrative and Financial Audit Bureau report, which also concluded that in many cases the patient could have been treated in Bahrain, while more urgent cases requiring foreign expertise were made to wait.
The bureau also noted there was no criteria for allocating a budget for individual treatment, which was instead decided by a committee lacking expertise in specific illnesses.
As a trial of the new system, the Health Ministry brought in a doctor last month to treat six patients rather than sending them abroad, Ms Al Saleh said.
“This doesn’t mean that we are going to have everyone put on a waiting list, we will shortlist in accordance with the numbers of patients in each illness category, to ensure that whenever a doctor is flown in they can treat the most patients at one time,” she said.
“Among the doctors who have agreed to take part in this new scheme so far are from India, Singapore, Thailand, Germany, the UK, Belgium and the US.”
The minister added that the government was committed to improving Bahrain’s health facilities, with the country’s main hospital due to undergo a major overhaul over the next three years.
A five-storey car park complete with 650 spaces, brand name cafés, restaurants and a branch of the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) will form the first part of the expansion, she said.
“When the hospital was built more than 50 years ago, it was not intended to have multi-storey buildings,” said Ms Al Saleh.
“There has also been an influx of thousands of new patients receiving treatment there in the intervening years.
“We are studying ways to rebuild the old buildings, but this will take time.
“For now, available empty plots of land that could be built on are being assessed as we think of possible expansions.
“The new multi-storey car park, which is an investment project within the complex with NBB, will be five-storeys in height and will see the bank move their branch inside the hospital as well as having branded cafés
and restaurants.
“The hospital is set to see a major overhaul to its facilities in the next three years to enable us to better serve the people.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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