Telangana government has imposed a total ban on private practice by doctors recruited through direct recruitment from now on. A government order was issued to this effect on Tuesday.
The order also states that the ban applies to doctors transferred from non-teaching side who will be recruited after issue of the notification. In case of them, clarity is needed on whether it will be applicable to existing doctors in non-teaching side who will be transferred, or only to those who will be newly recruited into non-teaching side and transferred later.
The announcement on Tuesday has led to the question that if it is a blanket ban on all doctors working in government hospitals.
Senior officials from the State Health department have clarified that it does not apply to the existing doctors.
The government order was issued a few days before notification for the 12,755 jobs in Health department, including the doctors posts, is set to be issued.
The ban is not imposed out of the blue. Series of news reports were published in the past two months indicating the prohibition would be imposed. Two weeks ago, Minister for Health T. Harish Rao too announced that the ban would be imposed, and that it will not be applicable to existing doctors.
The officials said that the agenda is to ensure total focus of the doctors is on patients at government hospitals.
Reimposed after 35 years
Senior doctors working in Telangana government hospitals are not strange to the ban on private practice. The ban announced on Tuesday has reminded them of the ban on private practice by the then NT Rama Rao government in 1980’s. Amendments were made to it during the then YS Rajashekara Reddy government.
Telangana’s Director of Medical Education K. Ramesh Reddy said that as per the rules, the existing government doctors are allowed only to offer consultations and prescribe medicines at their clinic or at a private hospital. They are not allowed to perform surgeries, or run a hospital of their own. He has also said that ban in different forms is imposed in around 12 to 13 States.
Young doctors not happy
The ban on private practice announced on Tuesday was not readily welcomed by young doctors. Several of them were looking forward to join government service by applying for the jobs that are set to be announced. They have requested authorities to increase their salaries on par with Central institutes such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
