Despite cabinet approval, several K-P hospitals delay implementing standardised diagnostic charges
PESHAWAR:
The enforcement of uniform diagnostic test rates across major Medical Teaching Institutions (MTIs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remains stalled, as several leading hospitals have yet to implement the provincial government’s directives aimed at standardising laboratory charges in public-sector facilities.
According to official sources, the provincial cabinet approved new, standardised rates for diagnostic laboratory tests conducted in government hospitals on November 14. The decision was intended to introduce a uniform policy across MTI hospitals to curb arbitrary pricing and provide relief to patients. Subsequently, the provincial Health Department issued formal directives to major MTIs, including Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar, Mardan Medical Complex, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad, Khalifa Gul Nawaz Hospital Bannu, Qazi Hussain Ahmed Medical Complex, Peshawar Institute of Cardiology, Bacha Khan Medical Complex Swabi and Khyber Institute of Child Health.
Sources said the revised policy covers 63 different laboratory tests, for which new rates have been notified. These include tests for malaria, calcium, creatinine, blood urea, VDRL, HIV, blood R/E, protein electrophoresis, as well as X-ray imaging of various body parts, among others. The Health Department’s Rate Fixing Committee is also expected to issue a formal notification endorsing the newly approved charges.
However, despite clear directives, implementation has been uneven. Sources revealed that in several major MTI hospitals, diagnostic tests are still being conducted at previously fixed, or allegedly arbitrary, rates. Among the three major MTIs in Peshawar, only Hayatabad Medical Complex has fully complied with the new policy. HMC has issued its notification and enforced the revised laboratory charges with effect from November 21.
Officials at Khyber Teaching Hospital said that the delay was due to technical reasons, explaining that changes in test rates require an upgrade of the hospital’s system. This process involves updating the Management Information System (MIS), entering revised prices and conducting a comparative review before the new rates can be applied. Hospital officials described the process as time-consuming but necessary to ensure accuracy and transparency.
Meanwhile, officials at Lady Reading Hospital maintained that many diagnostic services at LRH are already being provided at rates significantly lower than the market. They said several tests are subsidised, citing the example of MRI scans, which cost around Rs15,000 at private facilities but are offered for Rs6,000 at LRH. Moreover, all diagnostic tests for patients admitted under the Sehat Card Plus programme are conducted entirely free of charge.
LRH officials further emphasised that the hospital is an autonomous institution and that any revision in rates requires prior approval from its Board of Governors. Without such approval, they said, new charges cannot be implemented.
