AGARTALA, August 3 (TIWN): Beside, closing private practice from Saturday for indefinite period, the doctors of Tripura have accused the state government of cheating Medical Council of India (MCI) to get recognition of courses in Agartala Govt Medical College.The doctors alleged almost all the departments of AGMC have been running without proper faculties and basic minimum infrastructure over a decade. But every time government made false statement to MCI and showed senior doctors working outside as faculties of AGMC.Both Indian Medical Association (IMA) and All Tripura Government Doctors’ Association (ATGDA) has become unhappy with the state government over it’s inaction in upgradation of health infrastructure and service facilities.

The associations however, alleged instead of compliance of high court direction regarding better health care facilities in the hospitals and frame a rule for private practice of the doctors, the health department directed the doctors to submit individual affidavit in the court, which the doctors refused.

“We have close down our services outside hospitals from 1^st August showing respect to the High Court. IMA and ATGDA separately sought clarification of the court order separately,” said IMA officials.

“There is confusion in the court order, the government is saying doctors to submit affidavit directly to the court. But we understood that the government on behalf of it’s employees (doctors) to swear affidavit assuring compliance of the directives till formulation of the new rule,” a practicing doctor said.

Meantime, the government changed OPD timings in all the government hospitals including AGMC from Monday as soon as doctors closed down private practices. 

According to order, the OPD in the hospital will run from 9 am to 4 pm instead of existing 8 am to 1 pm. The revised scheduled indicated after attending OPD, the specialist doctors and senior doctors have to be in the hospital till 11 pm.

But it doesn’t tell about the teaching hours in the medical college. It seems, the government is desperate to manage the high court, not run the medical college, said faculty members of AGMC.

In all the critical departments have serious shortage of doctors and faculties. There are no teaching and research, everybody even the students are being employed to manage the patients regularly.

“The students are getting MBBS certificate with poor knowledge, which government is ignoring,” rues a senior faculty.

He further stated that in recent MCI visit found serious shortfall of faculties and minimum infrastructure in Anesthesia, Pediatric, Surgery and Medicine department. MCI has made it clear unless immediate appointment of sufficient teaching faculties and upgrade infrastructure in two months the recognition of these courses will be cancelled.

Earlier, high court of Tripura had asked the government in an order on May 29, hearing a PIL to frame a rule for private practice of the government doctors; so that hospital service and government health care system should not suffer.

Until framing the rule, HC asked the government to ensure complete ban on service and engagement of government doctors in the private nursing homes, health clinics and diagnostic centres, not to run chambers more than three hours in the working days and six hours in the holidays along with other conditions.

But the doctors did not agree to submit any affidavit to the high court.

“At the beginning of entering into the service all the doctors singed certain conditions, which are still exist and private practice has been doing under same rule. Government is also offering only Rs 1000 as non practicing allowance now, which may be increased little more but not acceptable. Moreover, equal number of patients in OPD is regularly attending private chambers, clinics and nursing homes daily, if they all come to hospital how do we manage them,” another senior doctor added.