Rajindra Hospital doctors indulge in 'private practice'

Karam Prakash

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Patiala, March 26

Senior doctors, including the heads of various departments (HODs) of Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, are brazenly indulging in private practice at their residences.

Our seniors, who get a monthly salary of around Rs2.5 lakh, are being paid to treat poor patients. However, their commitment and sincerity are more towards private practice. — A doctor of the hospital

Ironically, these doctors have also been taking advantage of the non-practicing allowance (NPA), and are being reminded by the authorities not to indulge in private practice time and again.

In a fact check by The Tribune, it was found that doctors of medicine, orthopaedics, skin, surgery and gynaecology were running consultancy services at their houses during evening hours.

While some doctors have also put signboards of their specialisation as consultants, many have disguised themselves behind non-identical clinic names.

A doctor, who is department head at Rajindra, was seen prescribing medicines on a white plain slip at his make-shift clinic at her residence.

The sources informed that many doctors at the hospital had also been performing surgeries at private hospitals in the city.

It has also been learned that some doctors are on-call-consultants in many private clinics, and their names, thereof, have not been mentioned in the patient’s file.

A doctor of the hospital, on the condition of anonymity, said: “Our seniors, who get a monthly salary of around Rs2.5 lakh, are being paid to wholeheartedly treat poor patients. However, their commitment and sincerity is more towards private practice. In hospitals, these doctors have only three days OPDs a week, but treat patients at private clinics every day.”

When asked about the doctors indulging in private practice, Dr Harjinder Singh, director principal, Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, said: “It was very unfortunate. We will be taking an action soon.”