Punjab: Private specialists’ empanelment fee capped at ₹2.5 lakh

he director health services, in an order issued on Tuesday, directed all civil surgeons in the state to ensure strict compliance with the new ceiling

The Punjab health department has capped the monthly empanelment fee payable to private specialists at ₹2.5 lakh per specialist, following concerns over hefty bills submitted by empanelled doctors, which in some cases had reached ₹5-6 lakh a month.

Under the earlier empanelment arrangement, specialists were paid on a per-service basis. (HT File)

The director health services, in an order issued on Tuesday, directed all civil surgeons in the state to ensure strict compliance with the new ceiling.

Under the revised arrangement, the existing system of calculating the empanelment fee on a per-patient or per-service basis will continue. However, the total payment made to an individual empanelled specialist in a month will now be subject to an overall ceiling of ₹2.5 lakh.

“An upper ceiling of ₹2.5 lakh per specialist per month has been prescribed for the empanelment fee payable to empanelled Specialists, as per the applicable terms and conditions,” the order stated.

The state government had started empanelling private specialists in December last year as a temporary measure to address the acute shortage of specialist doctors in government health institutions. Of the 2,098 sanctioned specialist posts in Punjab, around 1,000 were filled, leaving nearly half the posts vacant, according to official data cited earlier.

In January, around 650 private doctors had applied for 300 advertised specialist posts. The empanelled specialists were subsequently engaged at district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres to provide specialist services and bridge the manpower gap.

Under the earlier empanelment arrangement, specialists were paid on a per-service basis. The prescribed rates included ₹100 per OPD/IPD patient, ₹3,500 for major surgeries or Caesarean sections, ₹1,000 for minor surgeries, ₹500 for minor procedures, ₹400 per ultrasound, ₹1,500 for an emergency call and ₹2,000 for anaesthesia during major surgeries.

The issue of high payouts had been raised by the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), which opposed the empanelment of private specialists and questioned the financial prudence of the arrangement. The association had pointed out that the monthly earnings of some empanelled specialists at certain centres were higher than the salaries of senior PCMS specialists, and even those of civil surgeons and deputy directors.

Hailing the ₹2.5-lakh ceiling, the PCMSA said the government had assured it that the empanelment of private specialists was only a stop-gap arrangement to deal with the acute shortage and that recruitment of regular PCMS specialist doctors would begin this month.

The association also said the file for granting incentives to PCMS doctors under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana had been initiated and forwarded for further approval.

“It was the PCMSA that had opposed the empanelment of private specialists, pointing out that their monthly earnings at some centres were higher than the salaries of senior PCMS specialists and even civil surgeons and deputy directors. The association had then questioned the financial prudence of the arrangement and demanded that regular recruitment of government specialists be given priority,” said Dr Akhil Sarin, president of PCMSA.

“The PCMSA now believes that it will bring in enhanced financial prudence to this model,” he added.