AGARTALA, August 1 (TIWN): Finally the Tripura government doctors had shutdown their private clinics from Saturday saying ‘No’ to the private practises from now. The decision has come up just after the High Court on its interim order had put a ban on doctor’s private practises. Despite the HC had directed the doctors to submit an affidavit with the court the government doctors who opposed the ban on private practises had not acted towards placing the affidavit. The last date of submitting the affidavit was July 31. The HC on May 29 this year putting a ban on the private practises said the government doctors would not be allowed private practice at chambers for more than three hours on weekdays when they perform duties in hospitals or government-run health centres. On holidays, the government doctors will be allowed to practise for a maximum of six hours. Besides, a doctor cannot charge more than Rs 200 from a patient on the first day and then not more than Rs 100 on each subsequent day. No doctor would be allowed to set up a chamber in any private nursing home, pharmacy, pathology centre or diagnostic centre for private practice.

But interestingly the doctors acting as per the direction of the HC to stop private practises had not submitted any affidavits so far whereas they were supposed to do it by July 31. 

The doctors are in the opinion that from now onwards they would not run any private clinics rather they would spend at least 8 hours in the hospitals as per the government rules.

A large number of senior doctors, including assistant professors and associate professors of AGMC, have allegedly been doing private practice during duty hours, said a senior health official.

It was alleged that the negligence of duty on the part of senior doctors in the medical college has ruined the work culture. The emergency service of AGMC is being run by junior doctors without any supervision from the seniors.

The doctors have recently threatened to stop the private practises from August 1 unless the state government withdraws its decision to make doctors file affidavit for private practises. The state health department had earlier asked government doctors to submit an affidavit indicating compliance with the directions of the high court with regard to private practice.

Besides the doctors are also in the opinion that the state Left front government had deprived them at large from their promotions and handsome salary, but interestingly the state health department had recently claimed that the Tripura doctors cannot be compared with the AIIMS doctors and therefore the deprivation from good salary for the state doctors would remain, though the government is working hard to improve the health care infrastructure in the state.

The state health department claimed, “The state doctors some way or other compare themselves with the AIIMS doctors but this cannot be accepted as the doctors here are yet to own the quality skill like that of AIIMS doctors.”

Health Minister Badal Choudhury said, “We have absolutely no tussle with the government doctors of the state because it is only the High Court who had directed to stop the private practises.”

“The High Court has come out to the ultimate decision to ban the private practises and also had left some conditions for the doctors who want to continue the practises in their private chambers. Therefore the court would think the future impact of the ban,” Chowdhury clarified.