Srinagar, Mar 9: In an effort to effectively utilize services of medicos and counter “possible brain-drain” in the backdrop of ban on private practice, the Jammu and Kashmir Government is finalizing a policy to establish evening clinics in government hospitals with a provision for sharing the revenue earned thereby between the government and doctors.
 Minister for Health and Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-din today said the government was working on the plan and an announcement in this regard will be made soon.
 “Under this plan, paid clinics and wards will be established in hospitals with doctors of the department providing services to patients. These clinics will be controlled and regulated by the government, however, the revenue generated through such an activity will be shared with the doctors who wish to work there”, Taj Mohiuddin said.
 “No doctor working in a government hospital will be allowed to operate his private clinic,” he maintained.
 The Minister said that patients who can afford to pay for the services can this way get treated by doctors of their choice without having to visit them at their private clinics and nursing homes.
 “Other procedure like conducting of surgeries would also be allowed which will also ensure better utilization of doctors skills apart from lowering of workload in routine hours”, he added.
 The Minister informed that such a policy had also been devised earlier during the rule of Governor Jagmohan.
 “We have discussed the policy with the Chief Minister also and he has given a green signal to it. However, we are working on different modalities of the scheme and the same will be announced within days”, the Minister informed and added that both government and doctors will benefit from such an arrangement.
 “It is a plan for the doctors to work on nursing home pattern whereby one part of the revenue will go to the government and one part to the doctors”, he added.
 Meanwhile, the Minister said the government will withdraw its appeal filed before the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the J&K High Court order which had put a blanket ban on private practice by doctors.
 Meanwhile, State Law Secretary G H Tantray said the department was examining the policy and that it is being finalized. “We will clear it within a few days. Both Medical Education and Law Departments are working on the policy and have almost finalized  it”, he added.
 Meanwhile, experts believe such a scheme would help in ensuring reduction in brain drain and attrition rates among state’s medical fraternity. Pertinently, many doctors have openly come out against banning of private practice in the past and threatened to leave government services for moving to greener pastures in the west and the Gulf. (KNS)

Lastupdate on : Sat, 9 Mar 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 9 Mar 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:00:00 IST