| Amid talks of banning private practice by govt doctors, need is to regulate private clinics as well | | Huge variation in fee for conducting surgeries, consultation in private clinics | | Early Times Report
jammu, Feb 22: The Jammu and Kashmir government is reportedly mulling to ban private practice by government doctors but need of the hour is to regulate the private clinics, where huge variation in the rates of conducting surgeries, consultation fee and other charges could be found.
There is no uniformity in the fees charged by the private clinic owners for various types of facilities. Huge variation could be found in the fee charged by private clinics as consultation fee, surgery fee, room rent, service charges extra.
Take for example the baby delivery cases, huge variation could be found in the normal delivery cases and cesarean cases among private clinics as well as in comparison to the government hospitals. "For a normal delivery in government hospital, the total expenditure would not cross over Rs. 3-4 thousands but a private clinic would charge from Rs. 20,000 to 35,000", sources said, adding that the rates were not uniformed in the private clinics due to variation in the consultation fee of doctors, service charges, room charges, medicine charges etc.
Sources further said that in government hospitals most of the doctors prefer normal deliveries but in private clinics the doctors prefer to conduct surgeries rather than felicitating normal deliveries.
"The preference of doctors to conduct surgeries is due to the fact that for conducting a surgery, the private clinics charge Rs. 75,000 to 1 Lakhs", sources said, adding that by conducting surgeries for delivery cases, the private clinics earn a handsome amount while in case of normal degrees, the fee charged from the customer was low, so surgeries were preferred by private clinics to earn as much as money.
Even the medicines prescribed by the doctors would only be available at the chemist shop within the premises of clinics and clinic owners have links with the shop owners.
Though government is mulling to ban the private practice in order to promote private sector in Jammu and Kashmir but need is to regulate the private clinics, most of which have been charging huge fee from the customers, an official said. |
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