Govt pill to heal sick hospitals

Mrityunjay Ram / TNN / Nov 5, 2005, 03:50 IST

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The medical and health department has decided to allow govt doctors to take up private practice.

HYDERABAD: In a bid to retain doctors in state-run hospitals, the medical and health department has decided to allow government doctors to take up private practice. As of now, government doctors are barred from engaging in private practice.
The rule has led to top medical professionals abandoning state service in preference to private practice or consultancy, which is much more lucrative.But the relaxation of the ban will come with a rider.
Government doctors will be allowed to engage in private practice for a limited number of hours during their off-duty hours. The decision will be put to the cabinet at its meeting at the end of this month.
The guidelines pertaining to private practice are still in the process of being framed, a senior official in the medical and health department said.

The department is planning to set up a monitoring mechanism to keep tabs on government doctors lest their private practice eat into their time in the state's service.
According to health minister K Rosaiah, the move is aimed at attracting medicos to primary health centres (PHCs) besides retaining senior and trained medical staff in government hospitals.
"Relaxation of norms does not cost the government any money," he reasoned. "Because of the disparity between the work done and remuneration received by doctors in government hospitals, medical professionals are not opting for a career in state service.
For instance, we have not been able to fill hundreds of vacancies in PHCs across the state as many of the shortlisted candidates were not interested in joining government service, he said. The minister said the move will benefit all the three parties involved�� patients, doctors and the government.

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