VIJAYAWADA: The State health department is mulling utilising the services of private doctors in staff-starved government hospitals in rural and urban areas. If the proposal gets the government’s nod, private doctors who offer their services to government hospitals may be paid honorarium. However, government doctors are strongly opposing the proposal and demanding that the government would do better to fill the vacancies rather than roping in private doctors.
As of now, hospitals under the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) are using the services of 63 private practitioners as in-service doctors. The health department is planning to utilise the services of private doctors in similar fashion in Primary Health Centres (PHCs), area and district hospitals, which are under the control of AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (APVVP).
There are 195 PHCs, 70 area hospitals and six district hospitals across the State. A majority of these hospitals are facing shortage of class IV staff, while PHCs are in acute need of doctors. Almost all PHCs have either a gynaecologist or a physician, but not both. To overcome the shortage, the health department finds the idea of utilising the services of private doctors as the best way out.
On condition of anonymity, an official of the health department said, “earlier in undivided Andhra Pradesh there was the practise of employing the services of private doctors. Due to some reasons this was stopped. Now we want to reintroduce the practice, as this is going to be more affordable for the government than filling the vacancies and appointing permanent staff. Private doctors’ roles will be limited and an honorarium will be given to them. For instance if they do any surgery or delivery at government hospital, about ` 3000 will be given to them.”
Government doctors are strongly opposing the idea stating on the ground that private doctors may influence patients to visit their clinics and improve their practice. Also they are alleging that this practice will ruin the government medical system and people will prefer to go to private hospitals.