HYDERABAD: What can be the possible relation between the delay in release of stipends to resident doctors and their poor performance in exams? On the one hand, Vice-Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences says the results of students are poor because they skip classes and resort to private practice, which is illegal. On the other hand, resident doctors ask why would they need to go for private practice if the stipends are paid on time? In any case, the vice-chancellor believes the only solution to this issue is the biometric attendance systems.
MBBS students who are pursuing their post-graduation are considered as resident doctors and are therefore barred from practising in private clinics. However, most resident doctors from government medical colleges continue private practices during after hours.
Dr B Karunakar Reddy, Vice chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Science, in a recent Board of Studies meeting, said that biometric attendance systems will be installed in the university to track attendance of resident junior doctors, to ascertain if they are missing classes and are resorting to private practice instead.
The practice is widespread in Osmania Medical College and Gandhi Medical College, alleges Dr. Vijayender Goud, president of Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (TJUDA). But he said: “Students mostly resort to such practices because stipends are never paid on time. The money is sometimes delayed by almost eight months. Many of the doctors who are doing their specializations are married with kids. The private practice helps them earn basic household expenditure.”
However, Dr Goud noted, “Apart from the fact that they are permanent employees of the hospital, it is feared that their performance in the government hospital is affected. They end up spending more time and effort with their private patients, causing a dent on the public healthcare.”
Dr. B. Prathap Reddy, president of Indian Medical Association-Hyderabad, is of a different opinion. He said, “I think it is perfectly fine for PG students to have private practices. After four years of rigorous MBBS training and daily working in the hospital as PG students, these resident doctors are competent enough to provide services outside. However, the government does not really have the necessary mechanism in place to monitor such activities. And neither is the stipend enough for students to bear their expenditure.”
Though the resident doctors who practice in private clinics do not often get caught, patients too have the right to complain, said Dr. Nagendar, superintendent of OMC. He said, “If a complaint regarding such practices are filed it is immediately forwarded to the state medical council, where they take strict action against the student. It can even lead to suspension.”
Increase non-practicing allowance
The Federation of Resident Doctor’s Association (FORDA) had also written to the health ministry, asking for an increase in Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) or to provide an alternate solution when the NPA was reduced from 25 percent to 20 percent in 2016