Public hospitals to charge patients for CT and MRI scans

Public hospitals could soon charge patients for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, as the SAR government is set to unveil a public hospital fee reform in the coming weeks.

Sources suggested on Friday that under the proposed changes, non-emergency patients seeking treatment at public hospitals may need to pay additional itemized fees for specific services such as laboratory tests and scans.

It is understood that the charges would be set at affordable levels and that these charges would not apply to patients in urgent or severe medical conditions.

Sources also suggested that authorities would widen the healthcare safety net to better support the neediest patients who were paying huge bills to treat cancer and rare diseases.

The reform will hopefully alleviate the financial burden on middle-class patients who do not qualify for existing aid, preventing the patients from having to sell assets to cover substantial medical expenses, according to sources.