Prayagraj: Expressing concern that govt doctors are not attending patients in medical colleges and govt hospitals, the Allahabad High Court has directed the UP govt to come out with a policy for stopping private practice of doctors, who are appointed in the provincial medical services and district hospitals, situated in the district headquarters throughout the state.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Dr Arvind Gupta, who is professor and head of department in Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal observed, “It has become a menace that patients are being referred and dragged to the private nursing homes and hospitals for treatment and doctors who are appointed by the state govt either under the provincial medical services or in the state medical colleges are not treating and attending the patients in medical colleges and govt 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 wrong treatment given to the complainant by the petitioner Dr Arvind Gupta in Phoenix hospital, which is a private nursing home in Prayagraj district.
However, when the case was taken up on Jan 2, the court took a serious note involvement of a professor of state’s medical college in a private hospital and said, “The basic question, which needs to be addressed at the outset is, as to whether Dr Arvind Gupta, head of department and professor in Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj can give any treatment to any patient in a private nursing home in the city of Prayagraj being in the services of state govt and holding the post of head of department and professor in state medical college”.
In this backdrop, the court had on Jan 2 directed the state counsel to seen instruction from the principal secretary, medical education and health, UP and inform the court as to whether a head of department and a professor in Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, who is petitioner in the present case, is entitled to practice in private nursing home or not.
Pursuant to the order dated January 2, 2025, the state counsel on Wednesday submitted that a letter has been issued by the principal secretary, medical health and education on Jan 6, 2025, to all the district magistrates (DMs), where the state medical colleges are situated that the rules which were framed by the state govt on August 30, 1983 restricting the private practice should be enforced with rigor.
As per GO dated August 30, 1983, govt doctors shall not be entitled to private practice. In lieu of private practice a govt 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 in its direction dated Jan 8 also directed that a personal affidavit of principal secretary, medical health and education be filed within two weeks as to the enforcement of the said govt 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 govt should come out with a policy for stopping private practice of the doctors who are appointed in the provincial medical services and district hospitals, which are situated in the district headquarters throughout the state.
In its order dated Jan 8, the court directed to put up this case as fresh on Feb 10, 2025, for further hearing.
