SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 4: State medical officers (government doctors) have objected to a directive of the Jharkhand government and refused to give an undertaking not to see indoor patients in private hospitals.
Senior consultant of Jharkhand Arogya Society Sweta Kumari issued an order for the medical officers of the state to give an undertaking that they would only attend OPD patients in private hospitals/nursing homes after duty. They would neither admit the patient nor attend to them in the wards of a private hospital. Moreover, medical officers can give their services only in four private hospitals. During duty hours in a government hospital, they would not do private practice.
Government doctors in Jharkhand, who do not get Non-Practice Allowance (NPA), are officially allowed to do private practice after duty hours.
However, the circular of the Jharkhand Arogya Society has directed that medical officers can attend to patients in private hospitals 500 metres away from a government hospital in an urban area and 200 metres away in a rural area only. They are not allowed to give their service at diagnostic centres of private hospitals/ nursing homes.
“If a government doctor who does private practice and is found violating these guidelines, action would be initiated against him under Jharkhand Service Manual, Government Servant Code of Conduct Manual 1976 and Jharkhand Special Corruption Conduct Redressal Act 1983,” said Sweta Kumari in her circular.
Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA), the frontal organization of government doctors, has strongly protested the circular and has announced that no medical officer would give an undertaking ever.
JHSA secretary Dr Bimlesh Kumar Singh said that a sense of resentment is prevailing among the medical officers across the state over the government circular. They have raised the question of whether an undertaking from doctors would improve the health system in the state?
Dr Singh said JHSA demands immediate withdrawal of this government order and also calls upon the medical officers across the state to not give an undertaking on any paper.
“If the government does not withdraw the order, the JHSA would be compelled to paralyze the health services in the state,” warned JHSA state secretary Bimlesh Kumar Singh
