Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Mar 22: Despite receiving non-practicing allowance (NPA) from the State, over 50 doctors of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) are doing private practice in Valley, which is a brazen violation of the ban imposed by the State.
Officially, the private practice stands banned for these doctors since they are paid a monthly amount of 20,000 to 22,000 rupees for not doing it after office hours.
But, sources in the Institute said that about 50 senior doctors, including heads of the departments, professors and assistant professors, go for the practice, some at private clinics and some from their residences.
Most of the HoDs and faculty members of different departments like gastroenterology, neurosurgery, neurology, urology, cardio-vascular thoracic surgery, general surgery and endocrinology are doing the practice, sources said.
Several years back the then PDP-Congress alliance Government passed an ordinance banning the private practice of skims doctors. The ordinance says that any violation of the ban will come under the definition of criminal misconduct as per the Criminal Law Ordinance 2001.
Ironically, the NPA doctors indulge in private practice even after giving a written affidavit about not doing it as they are paid a monthly allowance.
Health experts said that the private practice by these senior doctors impacts the overall healthcare in the Valley’s tertiary hospital, besides affecting teaching and research in SKIMS.
“When a doctor checks hundreds of patients at his private clinic for a huge fee, how can he concentrate on patients at SKIMS as he is already exhausted,” a senior doctor, wishing anonymity, said.
“It also affects research of doctors who study for post graduate courses in the Institute,” he said.
Infact, some of these doctors are using SKIMS facilities to treat their ‘private’ patients. “These doctors check patients at their clinics and then ask them to come to institute for surgeries. Such patients are preferred over others who had waited long for their turn,” sources said.
While some of these doctors give prescription slips on their own letter deads, some to avoid trouble use plain paper.
Despite the brazen violation, the Government has never tried to implement the ordinance and the practice goes unabated.
Minister for Health and Medical Education Lal Singh told Excelsior that he has sought the file about the doctors taking NPA and also practicing in private.
“My predecessor Minister has made a dubious file. I will check the file and will see why the order has not been implemented till now. But, I assure the people that the ban will be implemented with strictness,” he said.
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