‘Seeks ban on private practice in medical colleges'
Srinagar, Dec 01 (KNO): Doctors Association Kashmir
(DAK) on Thursday said it is ironical that government
doctors are allowed to run private hospitals in Kashmir.
“Doctors take salary from public hospitals and surprisingly
work for private hospitals,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul
Hassan.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News
Observer (KNO), Dr Hassan said public hospitals are the
places where poor seek health care. Majority of our
population is still poor and cannot afford expensive
treatment in private hospitals.
“Diverting human resource from government hospitals to
private sector deprives poor and underprivileged of
essential health care,” he said.
The DAK President said government doctor is a
government servant all the 24 hours of the day, round the
clock and does not cease to be one during spare hours
when he/she is away from duty.
“Permitting private practice at any time in the day is bound
to affect the discharge of official duties by government
doctor,” he said.
Dr Nisar said the dual practice creates pervasive
incentives for doctors to increase waiting time at
government hospitals so that patients are forced to go to
private clinics.
“Doctors concentrate their attention and work effort on
private practice at the expense of public hospitals.
They use public hospitals as recruiting grounds for their
private practice and orchestrate scenarios to generate
business for their clinics,” he said.
General Secretary DAK Dr Arshad Ali said private practice
has eaten away our premier health institutions which not
only are crucial life-saving assets but also full-time centers
for medical education and research.
The academic character of the health institutions has got
damaged and profession of healthcare has got affected by
private practice.
“Private health sector should grow, but not at the cost of
public health sector,” he said adding “private hospitals
can't run their business by hiring government doctors who
are appointed full-time for public sector.”
Spokesperson DAK Dr Riyaz Ahmad Dagga said time has
come to segregate health sector and doctors have to
decide whether to work for private or public health sector.
“Government should ban private practice of government
doctors particularly in medical colleges to ensure round
the clock availability of doctors for patients,” he
added—(KNO)
