Sir,
Of late it had been found that State Govt. has not paid any attention to the increasing private practice of doctors. Now a days in the absence of any adequate Govt. facilities for medical care it has become a trend to visit private clinics of doctors whether they are retirees or in active Govt. service. Needless to say that one is being asked to wait for months together for undergoing surgeries like hernia, piles, fistula etc by the Govt. Medical Hospitals in Jammu. Even in OPD there is no such system to get treatments in proper way and one has to wait for hours together to have his turn at the hands of practicing doctors in the hospital. Only influential patients could have the turn with the senior specialists. So, the common man having no other option but to visit the private clinic of the doctors for treatment and to get treatments either from physician point of view or for undergoing minor or major surgeries in private hospitals and nursing homes. Besides, at the very start he is being prescribed lot of pathological tests and other examinations involving additional burdern upon him that too the patient is being asked to undertake at a particular laboratory or centre. This all in real terms is not less than fleecing a common man because he has to pay high consultation fees, spend a lot on undergoing various tests and then to pay the doctors and nursing homes for undergoing treatment whether surgical or any other kind of treatment and in most cases after doing all this finally again he is being asked to either go outside for treatment or to get admitted in the hospital.
All physicians who are either retired or are in Govt. services are charging very high consultation fees which presently is ranging from Rs 300 to more than 500 almost for one consultation. Even after paying this fees if a patient has to go again to a doctor for further advice he is not being taken care of being a second timer and generally being asked to continue as advised.
It is my humble request for the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir to have a very strict and rigid policy for private practice of doctors and fix ceilings on their private practices so with the pathological labs. to enable middle income group and old aged people to have sigh of relief from the exorbitant rates which are being charged by both these agencies without any limits.
Yours etc….
R K Kaul
Near Poonch House
Talab Tilloo, Jammu
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