Minister for Health and Medical Education Chaudary Lal Singh said that the Health Ministry will constitute a special team to check and initiate action against those medicos who reportedly spend time in private clinics during their duty hours. “I have been receiving reports that there are a number of medicos who are not available to patients during office hours in the hospitals and to control these medicos we have decided to constitute a special task force,whose exclusive job would be to inspect hospitals to see whether medicos attend hospitals during office hours or not,” Singh told.
Stating that private practice of doctors is taking toll on patient care system in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said that there is a proposal to ban private practice of doctors across the State.Chowdary Lal Singh said that there are also reports that medicos don’t attend their duties in District and Sub-District Hospital of Kupwara. “People have been complaining that medicos and Para-medical staff frequently remain absent from the hospital. If proved right, stern action will be taken against the them,” he said.The Health Minister said that health sector was in shambles when he assumed the charge and from last five months the situation on the ground has started changing drastically.He said that his Ministry has taken a strong exception to dereliction of duty and unauthorized absence by doctors who are serving in nursing homes and hospitals outside the State or in foreign countries. “The condition is bad in hospitals and we have to put the system back on track,”the Minster said and added that doctors who will work with dedication would be encouraged and those who do not serve patients would be taken to task.