ISLAMABAD: Health Minister Mustafa Kamal met members of the Registration Board of the Islamabad Health Regulatory Authority (IHRA) to review the suspension of the licensing process by the previous IHRA board.
The Ministry of Health directed that the licensing process be resumed, stating that the basic purpose of IHRA is to ensure the provision of safe and quality healthcare services in Islamabad.
According to the ministry, registration and licensing of all public and private healthcare institutions must be ensured. It asked the Registration Board to start issuing licences after fulfilling all legal requirements.
During the briefing, it was stated that 800 applications had already been received for obtaining licences in Islamabad. The briefing also noted that the previous IHRA board had stopped the licensing process.
The ministry directed that pending cases related to registration and licensing of healthcare institutions be disposed of at a fast pace. It said immediate action should begin on cases that are already complete and ready for processing.
The ministry further instructed that a practical daily target be fixed for clearing cases. It also directed that all relevant health facilities be provided written information about the registration and licensing procedure.
An effective awareness and facilitation campaign should be launched to guide institutions, the ministry said. It also called for the introduction of a regular complaints mechanism for the prompt redressal of public grievances.
The ministry directed that the shortage of human resources be addressed while fulfilling all legal requirements so that there is no hurdle or delay in inspections, registration and licensing.
It further said that all necessary steps should be taken to ensure effective monitoring of healthcare facilities in Islamabad.
