AGARTALA, August 4 (TIWN): Tripura High Court on Monday directed the All Tripura Government Doctors’ Association and Indian Medical Association to withdraw the petition filed separately with the court over the private practise issue. The HC earlier directed the doctors’ body that until the state government issued a notification to continue the private practises in condition, the court’s order would be applied. However, it is to be mentioned here that the government doctors had stopped the private practises from August 1 following a high court order.The All Tripura Government Doctors' Association (ATGDA) and the Tripura chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have opposed the ban and filed a review petition before the Tripura High Court separately.

Interestingly following the HC’s direction the state health department carbon copying the court’s order had issued a notification saying that the government doctors should not indulge in private practice but concentrate on government hospitals only on July 31.

However, the HC on Monday in view of the state government’s order had asked the doctors’ bodies to withdraw the petition and file fresh case if required.

The High Court on May 29 this year has directed government doctors to restrict their private practice to a maximum of three hours daily during working days. Government doctors can charge them a maximum of Rs.200 as consultation fees. On the patient's second visit, doctors can charge upto Rs.100 and money receipt must be given to the patients, HC directed.

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 are 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.”

Despite the court and then the government had left certain conditions for running the private clinics, the government doctors opposing finally chosen to discontinue the practises and attend the hospitals and the PHCs.