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| Srinagar based orthopaedician changes nomenclature of private practice | | Carries out follow-up at JVMC Hospital | | JEHANGIR RASHID
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, Mar 3: Many doctors working in the government sector in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir have converted the noble profession of medicine into business since they devote more time at their clinics than at the hospitals or the health institutes.
Sources told Early Times that an orthopaedician posted at Jhelum Valley Medical College & Hospital (JVMC&H), Bemina popularly known as JVMC has adopted a new method of private practice in the Kashmir valley. The doctor has limited the visit of a patient to his clinic for one time with the follow up not carried out at the clinic. “The doctor carries out the private practice on a clinic located at the Residency Road in Srinagar near Polo View. The visit of a patient to his clinic is limited to one visit and the follow up is carried at the JVC hospital. It is due to this reason that there is a huge rush of patients at the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the concerned doctor at the hospital,” said sources.
Sources said that the clinic is owned by a close relative of the doctor and both of them have made it a point that new patients arrive at the clinic on daily basis. They said that the doctor on an average sees 50-60 patients in a day and his monthly income out of the private practice is no less than Rs 10 lakh.
“A patient once argued with the owner of the clinic and insisted that the follow-up in his case should be done at the clinic and not at the hospital. The clinic owner asked the patient to come after many months following which he (patient) had no option, but to visit the hospital for follow up,” said sources.
Sources said that a patient who visits the clinic has to spend at least Rs. 1000 for the visit since the medico prescribes multiple drugs to the patient and also asks the patient to carry out different medical tests. They said that the doctor is hand in glove with some of the laboratories and receives commission in lieu of the patients being sent for medical tests or investigations.
Sources said that there are many cases of doctors who spent at least seven to eight hours in their clinics on a working day and around 12 hours on a holiday. They said that since there is no cap on the number of patients to be seen by a doctor on a given day the medicos are dictating terms with the patient care being the ultimate casualty. |
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