E-Paper
Frame policy to stop pvt practice by govt doctors: Allahabad HC to U.P. govt
Allahabad HC directs state to create policy halting private practice by government doctors, emphasizing patient care in public facilities.
The Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the state government to frame a policy for stopping private practice by government doctors appointed in provincial medical services and district hospitals.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Dr Arvind Gupta, professor and head of department at Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal observed, “It has become a menace that the patients are being referred and dragged to the private nursing homes and hospitals for treatment, and the doctors who are appointed by the state government either under the provincial medical services or in the state medical colleges are not treating and attending the patients in medical colleges and government hospitals, and just for the money they are being referred to private nursing homes and hospitals”.
In the present case, complainant Rupesh Chandra Srivastava had filed a complaint before the Consumer Forum for the alleged wrong treatment given to the complainant by petitioner Dr Arvind Gupta at a private hospital.
However, when the case was taken up on January 2, the court took a serious note of the medical services being provided by the petitioner at a private hospital and directed the state counsel to apprise the court on next date as to whether a head of department and a professor in Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj is entitled to practice in private nursing home or not.
Pursuant to the order dated January 2, 2025, the state counsel on January 8 submitted that a letter was issued by the principal secretary, medical health and education, on January 6, 2025 to all the district magistrates where the state medical colleges are situated that the rules which were framed by the state government on August 30, 1983 restricting the private practice should be strictly enforced.
As per the GO dated August 30, 1983, government doctors shall not be entitled to private practice. In lieu of private practice, a government doctor shall be paid non-practising pay or allowance or both as the government may specify from time to time.
In this backdrop, the court on January 8 also directed that a personal affidavit of the principal secretary, medical health and education, be filed within two weeks as to the enforcement of the said government order (GO) of 1983.
The court further directed that not only the doctors, who are appointed in the state medical colleges, should comply the GO of 1983 but also the government should come out with a policy for stopping private practice of the doctors who are appointed in the provincial medical services and district hospitals throughout the state. The court directed to list the case on February 10 further hearing.
