Analyze reasons behind private practice before responding to high court directions: JKAP
Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) general secretary Rafi Ahmad Mir on Friday stressed on the need for the government to strike a balance between the private practice of doctors and their duties in the government run hospital in the larger interests of patient care in Jammu and Kashmir.
In this context, Mir urged the Lt. Governor led government to come up with a measured response to be filed in a petition on permissibility of private practice by government doctors and medical employees being heard by the Hon’ble Jammu and Kashmir High Court.
The JKAP general secretary observed that before arriving at some conclusion and taking a decision on the subject the J&K government must analyze loopholes in the health department responsible for a grim scenario of patient care in government run hospitals.
“The Government should also listen to the grievances of doctors and take all the stakeholders on board to arrive at some workable solution amicably in order to overcome shortcomings in the government managed healthcare sector,” he remarked.
Mir said there is no doubt that people are suffering immensely because of lack of quality healthcare infrastructure including doctors and paramedics in government run hospitals but the same cannot be addressed only by imposing a blanket ban on private practices.
“Except trauma and emergency cases, most of the patients irrespective of their financial strength straight away go to private clinics or hospitals for instant treatment rather than to line up in long queues and getting dates for surgery months ahead in government run hospitals. If analyzed sincerely, this problem is not because of private practice but the lack of staff and the requisite infrastructure in government hospitals which needs to be addressed on top priority,” Mir observed.
The JKAP general secretary opined that the malpractices in government run hospitals can be overcome only by enforcing accountability and increasing the OPD and OT days of the doctors to accommodate more number of patients who have to wait for months together for a consultant level checkup or getting surgery dates in associated hospitals of various medical colleges across J&K.
“An effective monitoring mechanism of medical staff will surely increase the standard of government hospitals. Every available resource in the government hospital should be utilized for the benefit of the needy. JKAP expects the J&K government to strike a balance and come up with a comprehensive plan to address this grave problem,” he pleaded.(KNS)
