The Bahraini government has expressed concerns about the proposed telemedicine bill by the Shura Council, calling for a legislative review due to uncertainties regarding its effectiveness, clarity, and potential conflicts with existing legal frameworks. The bill aims to establish a legal framework for telemedicine within Bahrain, allowing licensed healthcare institutions to provide remote healthcare services in order to promote disease prevention and facilitate access to healthcare for all citizens. It comprises ten articles that define key terms, outline the scope of telemedicine services, address licensing requirements, and specify penalties for violations.
Despite the bill’s stated objectives, the government argues that existing regulations and policies already meet the goals of the proposed legislation. It points to the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) as having the authority to oversee and develop healthcare practices in both public and private sectors to ensure high standards of efficiency, safety, and effectiveness. The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is responsible for implementing the national health strategy, including establishing a unified information technology system for healthcare institutions.
The government highlights the comprehensive regulations governing private healthcare institutions and the SCH’s decision on the classification of healthcare facilities, which includes specific requirements for telemedicine services such as technical specifications and data management protocols. It concludes that a separate law for telemedicine is unnecessary as the existing regulatory framework provides enough flexibility to address evolving needs and achieve health policy goals. The government believes that the current legal framework for private healthcare institutions, in conjunction with the proposed law on healthcare professions, will effectively clarify the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in providing healthcare services.
In response to the proposed telemedicine bill, the Bahraini government has called for a legislative review, expressing concerns about its effectiveness, clarity, and potential conflicts with existing legal frameworks. The government acknowledges the need for a legal framework for telemedicine to promote disease prevention, facilitate access to healthcare for all citizens, and establish regulations for telemedicine practice. While the bill aims to define key terms, outline the scope of telemedicine services, and specify licensing requirements, the government argues that these objectives are already being met through existing regulations and policies, particularly with the NHRA’s oversight of healthcare practices and the SCH’s implementation of the national health strategy.
The government points to existing regulations governing private healthcare institutions and the SCH’s decision on the classification of healthcare facilities as adequate measures to ensure the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services, including those provided via telemedicine. It believes that a separate law for telemedicine is unnecessary given the flexibility of the current regulatory framework to address evolving needs and achieve health policy goals. The government emphasizes that the proposed legislation on healthcare professions, coupled with the existing legal framework for private healthcare institutions, will effectively clarify the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in delivering healthcare services, without the need for additional legislation specifically for telemedicine.
