BUJUMBURA September 5th (ABP) – The Cabinet members met on Wednesday August 30 under the chairmanship of the Head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
According to the press release from the State secretary general and government spokesperson, Prosper Ntahorwamiye, the bill establishing the code of ethics and professional conduct for health care and service providers in Burundi is among the files analyzed. The bill was presented by the Minister responsible for Public Health, Mrs. Sylvie Nzeyimana.
During its various field and supervision visits, the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS noted that certain aspects deserve improvement with regard to the provision of care and health services in health facilities.
Gaps are observed from reception until the patient leaves the healthcare facility. All these inadequacies in relation to the entire process of providing quality care and services must be transcribed into a code which will serve as a professional guide, but also as a reference for taking sanctions in the event of a breach.
According to the press release from the government spokesperson, this code, which is of paramount importance, provides information on the provisions allowing the provision of quality services and care by providers of all services in a health facility. It also provides information on the limits of the duties and obligations of patients to facilitate the work of providers in a healthcare facility, and the sanctions to be taken against any person who has violated the provisions of that code.
Generally speaking, that draft decree determines the rules, uses and principles which all healthcare and health service providers must follow in the exercise of their profession.
At the end of the analysis, the draft decree was adopted with observations and certain recommendations. They must ensure that health care services are easily accessible in public facilities as in private structures, raise awareness among health care providers of the need and importance of respecting medical confidentiality, study ways and means to limit the brain drain in that sector. It is also necessary to teach medical ethics to aspiring doctors from the start of their medical studies so that they absorb it deeply, and to raise awareness among doctors so that they change their mentality and understand that they are there to help the sick.
The Cabinet members also recommended doing everything possible so that in 2025, each district has a hospital and at least one doctor, identifying a hospital which could accommodate major personalities and equipping it accordingly, in order to limit the use of foreign hospitals.