Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Sept 20: Taking serious note of the reports that some Heads of Departments (HoDs) in Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals were still continuing with private practice despite a ban on the same, the State Government has constituted inspection committees for reporting compliance of the prohibition and tightening noose around the erring doctors.
Two separate committees have been formed for Jammu and Kashmir divisions for inspection and regularly reporting to the Principal of respective Government Medical College who shall submit a monthly report to the Health and Medical Education Department.
A formal order in this regard was issued today by the Secretary Health and Medical Education on the direction of Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din.
According to the Government order number 530- HME of 2013, dated 20-09-2013, the inspection committee for Jammu division comprises Mansoor Chowdhary (KAS), Personnel Officer GMC Jammu and Dr Riyaz Ahmed, Medical Superintendent of Super Specialty Hospital Jammu.
Similarly, the inspection committee for Kashmir division comprises of Rifat Aftab, Personnel Officer GMC Srinagar and Dr Mohd Amin Wani, Medical Superintendent Super Specialty Hospital Srinagar.
The committees shall regularly report to the Principals of the respective Government Medical Colleges who shall submit monthly report to the Health and Medical Education Department along with reports of these committees and action taken thereof, says the Government order.
Pertinent to mention here that the State Government vide order number 34 HMC of 2013, dated 17-01-2013 had imposed ban on private practice of Heads of Departments in Government Medical College and Associated Hospitals.
However, notwithstanding the ban, majority of HoDs continued their private practice though clandestinely by issuing prescription on plain papers in handwriting of someone else.
Even as the Government was well aware of flouting of ban on private practice, no action was so far taken against the erring doctors apparently to avoid inconvenience to a section of people.
“Doctors are gentlemen class and we don’t want to humiliate them by resorting to raids for compliance of ban on their private practice. So far we have been maintaining restrain but they (doctors) are openly violating the Government direction and thus forcing us to take action against them,” Minister for Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din told the Excelsior.
The Supreme Court had also pointed out recently that how the State Government has so far been allowing private practice by the Medical faculty despite a ban on the same by Medical Council of India (MCI), he added and again advised the doctors to desist from continuing with the private practice.
Meanwhile, according to the sources, the newly constituted inspection committees have started gearing up for the survey to identify the erring doctors, who are continuing with the private practice.
After conducting a survey, these inspection committees will make videography of the doctors attending patients in private clinics and then take help of police to conduct the raids, sources explained.
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