Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 1: Notwithstanding its tall claims, the Government failed to meet deadline on starting Super Specialty Hospital here and much hyped Evening Clinics at Jammu and Srinagar owing to reservations of the Medical faculty and some other technical reasons.
Even as there was no official word over failure of the Government in starting the paid clinics from May 1 despite its repeated assertion for the same, sources informed the Excelsior that stiff opposition of the Medical faculty was main reason behind the delay.
Owing to open opposition of Jammu Medical Teachers Association and indecisiveness of Srinagar Medical Teachers Association over the issue, the authorities concerned could not prepare roster of the duties by Senior Doctors in these Evening Clinics, sources explained.
Further, sources added, these proposed Clinics were not fully furnished for functioning as work on Operation Theatres in Chopra Nursing Home at Government Medical College Jammu was still going on and it would take a few days for getting ready.
Dr Shashi Gupta, who took over as Officiating Principal GMC Jammu last evening, visited the Chopra Nursing Home today and took stock of the arrangements for starting the Evening Clinic there. However, she could not be contacted for her comments.
As reported earlier, the Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din had announced to start paid Evening Clinics at GMC Jammu and Srinagar to facilitate the patients who could afford medical services on genuine payment basis. The decision to start paid Evening Clinics was taken following a ban on private practice of the Heads of Departments in GMC. These paid clinics were to start from May 1 and even advertisements in this regard had been carried in local newspapers.
However, the idea was strongly opposed by the Medical faculty who refused to offer their services in these Evening Clinics on the ground of insufficient infrastructure and other reasons.
According to Dr S K Bali, member of Jammu Medical Teachers Association, the proposed Evening Clinics would only add more chaos to the existing GMC system, which was already overloaded. Further, he added, the private practice and official duty in the same hospital would damage reputation of the doctors.
As there seems no end of the ongoing standoff between Medical faculty and Government, the proposed Evening Clinics are unlikely to see light of the day.
Meanwhile, the Government also failed to meet the deadline on starting Super Specialty Hospital Jammu from today because of non-availability of the required staff. Sources hint that the Government was now mulling to start OPD in the Super Specialty Hospital from next week, which would be followed by shifting of the departments there in a phased manner.
Dr Shashi Gupta is also learnt to have reviewed the progress in this regard during a meeting today.
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