The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has urged community members to take advantage of the electronic system for reporting healthcare malpractices in private facilities.
The E-complaint system makes it easier to decide on medical and administrative complaints about private health facilities and their medical staff. The complainant can track the status and progress of his complaint until the outcome following the end of investigations.
The new system considers the ease of use, impartiality, confidentiality, and reliability of the information provided by the complainant, which improves the procedures to handle the complaint and obtain a reference to its data to enhance transparency and credibility.
Abeer Adel, Head of licencing section at MoHAP, said,
"The e-Complaint system on malpractices by private medical facilities and their staff is part of MoHAP's e-services package, to improve the quality of health system, innovate smart solutions, and adhere to quality systems, to develop services and contribute effectively to the development of public policies and strategies that lead to the happiness of community members."
"To that end, the ministry has provided a legislative umbrella that includes clear controls and requirements regarding medical practices in accordance with the Federal Decree-Law Concerning Medical Liability No. (4) of 2016."
Adel hinted that the number of complaints is within the lowest global rates in developed countries, thanks to the strict standards and requirements followed by the ministry while issuing licences to private health facilities. Added to that are the periodic inspection and monitoring campaigns over the performance of these facilities, and their cooperation to ensure quality.
Dr. Hessa Ali Mubarak, Director of the Control, Audit and Inspection Department, said,
"The new system is an essential asset to the existing procedures, as it eases the handling of complaints about all stakeholders to achieve the health compliance of private medical facilities.
"It allows all individuals, whether residents or visitors, to file a complaint on private health facilities together with all the supporting evidence if any,"
She explained that a neutral medical committee will be formed to investigate the incident by the Medical Liability Committee, hear both parties and assess the medical procedures followed by the doctor.
She further said that private health facilities are constantly monitored to ensure that there are no wrongdoings and to reduce medical negligence and errors, which lead to the issuance of penalties and fines and even the final closure.
Doctors who commit medical errors are usually referred to the Medical Licencing Committee and face penalties according to Federal Law No. (5) of 2019 Concerning the Regulation of Practice of Human Medicine Profession.
The Medical Liability Committee in charge of considering medical complaints will feature experts from various medical fields to decide on the complaints and issue reports that the complainant can appeal within 30 days of its issuance. In this case, the challenged reports will be referred to the Higher Medical Liability Committee for re-investigation.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
