Notice To all medical professionals.

Attention ALL Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists, Radiologists, Therapists, Laboratory Personnel & All Other Health Professionals

This NOTICE serves to bring to your attention a Matter that concerns Every Health Care Professional.

We refer to the Health Facilities Licensing Bill 2006 that is currently before Parliament.

We have a number of concerns including the fact that this bill will allow the Minister of Health PERSONALLY to be the SOLE licensing person/body of Doctor's offices, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and every other healthcare facility in this country.

It also gives the Minister the ability to scrutinize every patient's chart and all other records in all health care facilities, this will result in a Loss of Patient Privacy.

It will also allow the Minister of Health to seize any medical office, hospital, pharmacy, laboratory or health care facility and to hand it over to another individual with no renumeration to the rightful owner.

It seeks to regulate all medical offices, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories and health care facilities with one legislation.

This will result in:-

Reduction in the Quality of Health Care Provided
Restriction of Trade & Business
Invasion of Health Care Personnel Privacy.
A loss of Doctor/patient confidentiality.
Seizure of Property
Creation of One Law to Control Every Health Care Facility from a hospital to a Doctors Office to a Massage Clinic
We are having a meeting on Wednesday, January 10th 2007 @ St Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ward E , 6 pm to discuss this matter

All Health Care Professionals and Interested persons are invited to attend

Committee of Concerned Doctors

Controversial health bill sent to committee Article taken from StabroekNews.com
Friday, January 12th 2007

The Health Facilities Licensing Bill which was scheduled for a second reading in the National Assembly yesterday was referred to a select committee instead in the wake of deep concerns by health care professionals.

On Wednesday health care professional rejected the bill while referring to it as "poor legislation" and called for meaningful consultations before any proposed legislation is made in the future.

Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had on Wednesday issued a statement saying that the bill is not seeking to regulate practices within the offices of private doctors. He emphasised that the bill is intended to strengthen regulation of public and private hospitals, laboratories, dialysis centers, imaging centers (MRI and CT Scan), surgical clinics and cancer treatment centers that provide radiotherapy.

The Health Facilities Licensing Bill of 2006 was tabled in the National Assembly on December 21, last year, and it is to apply to health facilities as well as health services, places or persons.

Download the Health Facilities Licensing Bill and Explanatory Memorandum (774 KB Adobe Acrobat file).

Download the Regulations under the Health Facilities Licensing Act (133 KB Adobe Acrobat file)