A few private clinics in Qatar that have been run by general practitioners will soon be phased out, as a specialist degree has been made mandatory for physicians setting up such facilities, a senior official of the National Health Authority (NHA) has said.
Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain, Director of the Medical Licensing Department at NHA, said that the Department had stopped issuing licences to general practitioners seeking permission to set up private health care facilities.
“General practitioners can work in a clinic or hospital, but they are not allowed to establish or run such facilities. Only specialists are given permission to do that,” Faleh Mohamed told The Peninsula.
He said there are a few general practitioners who have been running such facilities, with licences issued in the past. “Such facilities will be phased out soon,” said Faleh.
A panel of experts will study and evaluate the medical degrees of various countries to formulate clear standards regarding qualifications. It will help in defining a specialist and a general practitioner as well as other categories to avoid any confusion on the issue.
He said the online registry recently set up by the NHA for private physicians has been working well. All licensed physicians in the country have already been included in this registry.
“Our IT section is now working on a system to provide automated information to physicians about the expiry of their licence. Doctors will be alerted through SMS messages so that they will be able to renew their licence in time,” said Faleh.
He said in the past the NHA had come across a few cases of doctors practising without a valid government licence. “Such complaints have now stopped after the NHA issued clear standards and specifications for all medical practitioners in the country,” said the official.
The Pen
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