Service rules were not relaxed to allow private practice to Govt doctors for raising commercial enterprise

If Private Practice is for increasing income, why not then allow it to all government employees
Jan Aushadi Store scheme has not been that ‘professionally’ supported even by Government doctors

DAYA SAGAR
It is surely not true that the common man has been and is of the view that the government need to find out some way out to allow PVT practice to Government doctors as and when questions on private practice by government doctors have been raised like had it happen after the J&K HC order of 25th November 2011 Even in 2022 even when Government spends hundreds of crores of INR on the wages and health infrastructure, what to talk of the common man , even superior bureaucrats and the political masters appear to have lost faith in the quality of Government health services in UTs like J&K where inspite of there being in 2022 AIIMS said to be in operation holding MBBS classes , there being 6 government medical colleges and super specialty government hospitals so often patients are found rushing to PGI Chandigarh and private hospitals outside J&K even for routine treatments. Jammu has a super specialty hospital but it was reported in the media with reference of Principal Medical College Jammu that Rajesh Gupta ex MLA who left for his heavenly abode in his early fifties on 7th June 2022 that he was suffering from brain tumor for the last eight years, was admitted in the hospital for 15 days and had been discharged recently after feeling better but he was brought back to the hospital around 2 pm on 7th June with aspiration (pneumonia) and breathed his last around 5.40 pm same day. One could ask why he was allowed to carry with brain tumor and was not atleast operated for tumor when Jammu had even a super specialty hospital?
J&K Governor N. N .Vohra was been quoted as having said while he was speaking ( on June 1st 2013) after inaugurating the 32nd Annual Conference of North Zone Indian Orthopedic Association at SKICC Srinagar that (i) The frontiers of science are advancing at a fast pace and we can’t stand by and claim that we know adequately well what needs to be done. We need to work with all the avenues we have (ii) It seems difficult to accept that all this is possible when we have a system where we expect our doctors, practitioners and surgeons to work 8 to 10 hours a day and then also do private practice. (iii) This particular arrangement needs to be reviewed and looked at in all fairness. A day before that on 31st May 2013 J&K Cabinet had considered the proposals moved by Taj Mohi ud Din Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports for banning private practice by faculty members of Government Medical Colleges , Government Dental Colleges and associated hospitals but it was deferred in view of his not getting support of his cabinet colleagues. Dis allowing private practice to government doctors was more in news after Taj Mohi-ud-Din took over the charge of the concerned Ministry. Surely the objective behind had been the desire of Minister to improve the patient-care in the government institutions. Almost every year it is reported that administration is viewing the need for ban on private practice by government doctors but it remains only a news.
Those who plead allowing private practice to government doctors quote shortage of doctors, need for rendering service in odd hours / emergencies and even plead that if PP is disallowed there would be more opportunities to private clinics / private practitioners for fleecing the common man. But the pleadings do not stand to logic , more particularly the way some government doctors have converted the provision of consultation to almost a business enterprise and above all since there is not that acute shortage of doctors in private sector / many senior retired government doctors are available in the market. Not only that doctors even with MD /MS/ DM/MCh degrees are under employed in private sector / government job advertisements get flooded with applicants even when inferior service condition are offered to them by governments like J&K Government ( J&K Health & ME Department appointed has appointed 459 Medical Officer ( Allopathic) under G.O No. 938 – JK(HME) of 2020 of 31-12-2020 to fill up much needed vacant posts , particularly those lying vacant over a long periods in the health cover deficient rural/ backward areas on the basis of communication received from J&K PSC under number PSC/Exam-WT/MO/2020/6 of 14-12-2020 ( 900 posts notified by PSC under No: 01/PSC(DR-P) of 2020 Dated 30-07-2020 ) conveying ‘select list’ of 642 MOs but withholding recommendations in respect of 183 selected candidates).
To be continued
(The Author is a social activist and Senior Columnist J&K affairs [email protected]).