In a letter dated October 2, addressed to the heads of health facilities from the second to the sixth category, Minister of Public Health Manouda Malachie (Minsanté) raised concerns about patients being redirected from public to private hospitals.  "Several cases are diagnosed in public health facilities and referred to private health facilities by state personnel, to receive care and services which are already available in public health facilities," he writes.

He points out that, in recent weeks, cases of suspicious deaths involving state personnel have been recorded in private health facilities. According to the Minister, the cause of these suspicious deaths is straightforward: "Certain health professionals, often still in training or refining their skills, choose to transfer patients to private health facilities with questionable technical capabilities."

Consequently, he instructed the hospital managers to watch out for such doings and also warned those responsible for such actions.

Redirecting patients from public health facilities to private ones is a well-established practice. Many specialists on duty in private hospitals refer their patients to private clinics where they work, and where the cost of services is often two or three times higher.

L.A.