The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to implement a policy prohibiting private practice by government doctors, citing it as a growing menace that compromises patient care in state-run hospitals and medical colleges.
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, presiding over the matter, expressed concern about government doctors referring patients to private nursing homes and hospitals for monetary gain instead of providing treatment in government facilities.
“It has become a menace that the patients are being referred and dragged to the private nursing homes and hospitals for treatment, and the doctors who are appointed by the State Government either under the Provincial Medical Services or in the State Medical Colleges are not treating and attending the patients in Medical Colleges and Government Hospitals, and just for the money they are being referred to private nursing homes and hospitals,” the Court observed.
The Court’s order came while hearing a petition filed by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Head of Department and Professor at Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj. The petition was in response to a complaint filed by a patient regarding alleged malpractice at a private nursing home.
During the hearing, the Court questioned how Dr. Gupta could engage in private practice while serving as a government doctor. It also ordered the State to investigate how widespread private practice is among government-appointed doctors.
“It is a serious matter. The State shall also conduct enquiry as to the Government doctors carrying on private practice in Nursing Homes and Medical shops, who are appointed in different State Medical Colleges,” the Court said.
The Principal Secretary of Medical Health and Education informed the Court about the existing 1983 rules concerning private practice by doctors in medical colleges. However, the Court insisted on stricter enforcement and asked the Principal Secretary to file a personal affidavit on the implementation of these rules.
Additionally, the Court directed the State to extend the prohibition on private practice to all government doctors, including those in Provincial Medical Services and district hospitals.
“It is further directed that not only the doctors, who are appointed in the State Medical Colleges, should comply with the Government Orders of 1983, but also Government 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,” the Court emphasized.
The matter has been scheduled for the next hearing on February 10.
Case: Dr Arvind Gupta vs President And Member State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Uttar Pradesh – Available on LAWFYI.IO
