Srinagar: The administration is likely to ban the private practice of doctors in the Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir, officials privy to the development said.
The development comes close on the heels of recommendations of medical experts constituted on the directions of the High Court that had strongly advocated a blanket ban on private practice of doctors in JK in the interest of patient care.
“We are well aware of the fact that private practice of senior and middle-rung doctors is taking a big hit to patient care across the UT. It is most likely that we will start with banning the private practice in medical colleges of UT first. A meeting will be held to discuss the issue in a few days,” a senior officer in the Health department said.
Experts said that a large number of doctors despite getting handsome salaries still go for private practice and take the share of the unemployed doctors who neither have a place in the Private nor in the Government sector.
“Those doctors are forced to leave for other states in search of jobs,” said an expert, wishing not to be named.
“The teaching of MBBS students and the Postgraduate students by the faculty in the Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir and the quality of patient care has deteriorated due to doctors’ main interest in private practice.”
Another expert pleading anonymity said that patient care will improve only if the administration announces a blanket ban on the private practice of doctors.
“Ban on the private practice by the doctors will encourage the establishment of Private clinics and corporate hospitals in rural areas of the union territory and shall play a great role in providing medical facilities to the patients in remote areas who otherwise have to run to cities for treatment,” he said.
He said that on average, a doctor in GMC performs just two to three operations in a week and the same doctor may do eight to ten operations in Private nursing homes in just a few hours.
“There is mushrooming of private hospitals run by government doctors and more patients are treated at private hospitals nowadays,” the expert said. (KNO)
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