The House Social Sectors Committee is preparing to vote on Bill 07.22 to establish the Higher Health Authority.
The committee’s office decided to vote on the draft next Monday as a prelude to its approval at the first meeting of parliament during the next spring session.
The Superintendent of Health is expected to take over the tasks of technical supervision of basic compulsory health insurance, assessment of the quality of services provided by medical institutions in the public and private sectors, and opinion on public health policy. health.
On the other hand, the majority teams in the House of Representatives made a number of amendments to this draft with the aim of improving it, including placing the work of the High Authority for Health under the supervision of a legislative institution and expanding its powers.
In this regard, most parties called for the obligation of the Higher Directorate of Health to draw up an annual report on the results of its work, which should be discussed in parliament and published to the public.
She also called for expanding the department’s tasks to include the preparation of plans and strategies in the medium and long term in the health sector, as well as ensuring the continuity of the state’s work in the health sector.
Most of the teams justified this amendment by saying that “the body monitors and updates epidemiological data and evaluates programs related to disease control, in addition to many of the specializations with which it is endowed in the field of health, which requires it to be able to prepare plans and strategies in the field of healthcare.
The amendments to the majority commands also aim to provide that the body be given the authority to update the social determinants of health, promote healthy lifestyles and make suggestions and decisions regarding health risks, and to enable the body’s council to create thematic committees tasked with fulfillment of specific tasks, as well as providing it with the opportunity to consider the partnership and cooperation agreements concluded by it. Commission, discussion and approval.
The creation of this commission comes as part of the implementation of royal directives calling for a review of the health system and the activation of the announced components of the health system reform, especially the component related to management, according to the project’s presentation memorandum.
The body is expected to provide the preparation of means for the control of the basic system of compulsory health insurance, the approval of health institutions, the periodic evaluation of medicines, medical devices and the work of medical workers on the basis of their effectiveness and feasibility, as well as the conditions for the appointment of these materials and the practice of these works. professionals.
The bill provides that the body will monitor, analyze and evaluate epidemiological data, evaluate programs related to disease control, conduct research and research in its field of competence on its own initiative or at the request of the government or parliament, develop guidelines and handbooks. related to lifelong learning and to take on the task of mediating disputes submitted to it. Health care workers, taking into account the powers conferred on professional bodies in accordance with applicable laws.
The Authority will also oversee negotiations related to the preparation of national agreements between the authorities responsible for the management of basic compulsory health insurance systems, on the one hand, and providers of medical instruments and services, on the other hand. .
The new institution is responsible for achieving an overall financial balance between resources and expenditures for each of the basic compulsory health insurance systems, as well as maintaining statistical information on basic compulsory health insurance, collected on the basis of annual reports sent by each of the authorities responsible for this measure.
