Sending out a strong message to government doctors who carry out private practice during duty hours, the State government on Friday suspended five senior doctors of the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Hubli.
The suspended doctors are KIMS doctors association president Dr Durgaprasad Kabade, nephrologist Dr Raviraj Raikar, physician Dr Ishwar Hasabi, psychiatrist Dr Arunkumar and surgeon Dr Narayanachandra Hebasur. Each was drawing a salary of over `1 lakh a month.
After swiping biometric cards for attendance at KIMS, these doctors used practise at their own hospitals. Around 5 pm, they used to show up at the KIMS to swipe the cards again to show that they were in the hospital till evening.
Last month, a private TV channel did a sting on these doctors and caught them skipping official duty. This not only brought disrepute to KIMS but also triggered public protests.
The government, after dilly-dallying for over a month, finally acted on these doctors.