This has reference to the invitation of opinion by GK with regard to private practice.
The issue pertains to doctors working in teaching institutions in general and with the doctors of SKIMS in Kashmir Valley in particular. The doctors of the state other than SKIMS can practice in private clinics or hospitals, except during duty hours. However in SKIMS doctors cannot indulge in private practice in any form or at any time. The debate should not be whether to allow private practice or not, it should rather be how to implement the existing law with efficiency. Nowhere in the world, teaching institute allows practice by its staff. Some say there is a peculiar situation in Kashmir, so private practice must be allowed. But it is because of this peculiar situation private practice in teaching institutes should be banned. The state has more than 3000 general practitioners, 500 specialists 4 super specialists without a government job. You don’t provide them the job and at the same time rob them off earning livelihood in private hospitals. If government doctors are so enthusiastic about private practice, why they don’t call it a day and leave the room open for jobless. They can’t have the best of the two worlds. Doctors in teaching and tertiary care institutes have to engage themselves in patient care, teaching and research. By way of convention, doctors don’t have prescribed timings as the nature of job is like that. Suppose, doctors of tertiary care are allowed private practice and an emergency is to be tendered and the doctor on call in private nursing home is conducting a procedure or surgery. What will happen to the lesser mortal in the hospital? Here are some facts about the faculty of SKIMS. Only 20-30 senior faculties are giving a bad name to this prestigious institute. But unfortunately all others (130-140) are suffering on account of violators. Even government has stopped providing some facilities because of nasty-tag otherwise by way of law SKIMS is at par with All India Institute of Medical Science; but the doctors at AIIMS never indulge in private practice. Yes, they call it a day and never return or engage themselves in private hospital, thus providing the space to young and fresh minds. I am told that faculty at SKIMS is being paid handsomely and have other facilities too. Let us not be thankless, they are doing a wonderful job, which is evident from the confidence community has in them and retired faculty has lucrative jobs else where.
 I request the doctors working in SKIMS please don’t indulge in private practice, otherwise this unpleasant debate will not end and only skeletons will tumble down from the cupboards.

S Mudasir Ahmad
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Lastupdate on : Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
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