THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health department’s new guidelines on private practice by government doctors have been largely embraced by the medical community, which anticipates that these changes will help curb unethical practices.
The guidelines come in response to recent findings of rule violations by the vigilance wing and complaints from doctors about harassment due to the lack of clarity in the previous directions. The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has expressed support for the new directions. “The Health department has addressed the KGMOA’s concerns and reinforced the principle of private practice, allowing doctors to offer services to those who can afford them after duty hours,” said Dr T N Suresh, KGMOA state president.
According to the new guidelines, doctors under the Directorate of Health Services are prohibited from conducting private practice in commercial buildings or locations associated with laboratories, scanning centres, medical institutions, and pharmacies. They are also barred from practising within a one-kilometre radius of their hospital unless they own the building. They are also allowed to use bare minimum equipment and devices for diagnosis.
Earlier KGMOA had opposed the direction that the doctors were prohibited from offering private consultation to patients who are likely to be admitted to a hospital. They also opposed the direction that the doctors should hold private consultations only in buildings under their ownership and the onus was on the doctors to prove their ownership. However, the doctors opposed the direction as many did not want to consult at home.
Unlike the doctor under the Directorate of Medical Education, those under DHS are allowed private practice outside their duty hours. However, the department officials said that some doctors violated the norms of private practice and canvased patients from the hospital, especially when the hospitals were facing pressure in outpatient clinics.