BAKU, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijan’s rules for referring patients to private clinics under compulsory health insurance may delay urgent treatment and surgery, lawmaker Zahid Oruj said at a parliamentary committee meeting on Sept. 21.
Oruj, chairman of the Milli Majlis Human Rights Committee, said referrals to private hospitals under the compulsory medical insurance system had been reduced as much as possible. Under the current sequence he described, a patient must first seek care at a state hospital and may receive a referral to a private medical institution only if the state facility declines to provide the treatment.
He said that process can create additional obstacles for people who need treatment or an operation without delay.
Concerns About Public-Sector Reforms
Oruj also criticized the results of reforms carried out in government bodies, agencies and committees, saying they had not always produced the expected improvements.
As an example, he pointed to the way responsibility for road lighting can be divided among different institutions, with one body responsible for a lamp and another responsible for the pole that supports it. He said such fragmented responsibilities can make coordination more difficult.
The lawmaker also warned that the rapid replacement of experienced employees could weaken coordination and reduce the quality of public services. People who violate the law should be held accountable, he said, but professional capacity should not be lost through broad personnel reshuffles.
Proposals for the Regions
Oruj identified migration from rural areas to Baku as another pressing problem, saying it increases pressure on the capital’s transport system, housing market and employment opportunities.
To encourage people to remain in Azerbaijan’s regions, he proposed lower gas and electricity tariffs in rural areas, broader access to mortgage programs, zero taxation for processing enterprises and higher salaries for teachers and doctors working in the districts.
The measures were presented as proposals by the lawmaker. No government decision on the proposals was announced at the meeting.
Source: Vesti Baku