Private hospitals have been rapped for dumping emergency patients on government facilities without warning.

The warning follows a string of incidents in which critically ill patients have been sent from private to government hospitals without even a phone call.

The warning was issued during a meeting between ministry officials and representatives of private hospitals, at the ministry premises in Juffair last Tuesday, sources said yesterday.

The meeting, presided over by Health Minister Dr Faisal Al Hamer, was called to discuss the 'irresponsible' role of private fertility centres, private hospitals' co-operation in dealing with the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, health insurance for expatriates and buying of services from the private hospitals.

Dr Al Hamer stressed the need to ensure proper co-ordination with government hospitals before the emergency cases are transferred from private hospitals.

'All private hospitals must also ensure they have proper and fully-equipped ambulances so that the patients are fully 'secured' when the transfer takes place,' said sources.

They said Dr Al Hamer was 'anguished' at reports that critically-ill patients had been sent to the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and the BDF Hospital without as much as a call, catching doctors and staff there off guard.

They said ministry officials would randomly organise inspections to ensure rules were being followed.

Meanwhile, the ministry said in a statement yesterday that new rules being put in place for private fertility centres would make it mandatory for them to work in close co-ordination with the ministry.

'They will be asked to share data with the ministry so that the SMC can be aware of how many cases to expect for admission into its neonatal unit and prepare to accommodate them,' the statement said.

On the management of swine flu patients, the statement said 'full co-operation' from those facilities was expected.

Our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News reported yesterday that the hospitals had refused a ministry request to treat swine flu patients in their own isolation wards, saying that that paying patients would be scared away.

The statement also said the private hospitals had been asked to supply the ministry with a list of staff who would have to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus when the vaccination became available late this month.

'They were also asked to list their requirement for anti-viral drugs so they could be made available to them,' it said.

A comprehensive health insurance plan for expatriates is on the cards, the details of which will be released soon, said the statement.

'The ministry is open for suggestions from private hospitals on the insurance plan and will try and incorporate them in the final bill,' it said.

The meeting was attended by Under-Secretary Dr Abdul Hai Al Awadhi; hospital affairs assistant under-secretary Dr Ameen Al Sa'ati, primary care and public health assistant under-secretary Dr Mariam Al Jalahma and other officials.-TradeArabia News Service