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Ban
Private Practice by Doctors
By Dr. Daya
Dayal
Oct. 1, 2008 |
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Complaint
against doctors’ availability at required time
in Government hospitals is owing to doctors’
involvement in attending to private patients in
clinics during duty hours. More true about
senior doctors having attended senior positions
with more privileges, more load of patients with
ardent belief or made to believe at most times
that treatment is better in private clinics. It
is cut throat business, quite common for
patients to land at wrong places on false
communication of opted doctor’s death or
transfer to other place, even abroad. Thus
doctors rush, abandoning their duties, to
nursing homes and clinics opened in close
proximity to these places of work, else patients
will be lost to other practitioners with their
assistants eyeing them like vultures. Personal
compounders offer world class assistance in
escorting them to these clinics.
The Govt. of Bihar is in majority. Without much
pressure, it can afford reforms and achieve its
objective by taking necessary steps followed at
other places and, in fact, in other states. We
can only count on fingers states where private
practices by Govt. doctors are allowed - then
why Bihar does not come out announcing ban and
then withholding it? One fails to understand
what makes a decision of banning private
practice, taken in the interest of mass
comprising of middle and poor class families,
yield to a handful of high-bracketed private
practitioners. Why should not the govt. be
strict on its stand? It just requires some
financial consideration like paying
non-practicing allowance!
There will be protest despite the fact that 90%
of the govt. doctors are in favour of banning
private practice. On an earlier occasion while
considering this ban, the Govt. had collected
such a commitment in writing from willing
doctors to this effect. But for almost all
stages occupied mainly by high-bracketed
practitioners, voice of majority gets lost and
curtailed by a handful. Why not take a
"referendum" on banning private practice and
implement?
Very senior doctors in Mumbai work as professors
on token salary of Re. 1 while being allowed to
do private practice. They just want association
with Medical Colleges and Institutions and
designation of Professor for its value among the
patients. If followed in Bihar there will be so
many vacancies, promotions, answerability,
improvement in health care and savings to the
Govt. of senior pay and perks reduced to Re. 1.
"THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN LOVE; NO
ACHIEVEMENT GREATER THAN EFFECTIVE SERVICE TO
THE HUMANITY."
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Comments: |
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I appreciate his bold suggestion. -
Fazal Karim, Abha, Saudi Arabia -
Oct. 13, 2008 |
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Discussion on this topic is now
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