This refers to the news story titled ‘Can we ban SKIMS docs private practice?’ The story is about a noted gastroenterologist who did not attend to his neighbor in agony, but let’s not forget that nobody can treat the severe abdominal pain at home. The doctor should have told this to the patient and saved himself from being boycotted.  ‘Another problem’ mentioned is the patient load and difficulty in meeting a specialist in the hospital, I wonder how could one think of such a solution to the problem. This method of referral is in vogue in all the institutes of India and abroad. The problem nowadays is compounded because the practicing doctors are giving full preference to the procedures conducted in the Institute to the patients seen outside, thus depriving the genuine share to the poor patients. Regarding the comments made about the research I leave it to the common masses to decide what research will a doctor do who spends most of his time in private practice. The story shows concern about the brain drain. But the doctors it has named did not leave the hospital for private practice alone. This time private practice is banned on papers but still 20-30 % of clinicians are practicing secretly in the clinics. I suggest the handful of these doctors be relieved of their jobs and let the Institute flourish.
Dr. A Salih
Consultant
JK Health Services
drasalih1950@gmail.com

Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 7 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST