Private practice by Govt docs goes unchecked
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 11 2017: Even though the Health Commissioner issued a memorandum on April 15 this year to identify Government doctors practising privately and take up befitting action against such doctors as per service rules, the authority concerned has done very little to transform the same memorandum into action .

According to sources, a report reached the Manipur Information Commission (MIC) about one Associate Professor of JNIMS ENT Department practising at a private clinic .

Subsequently, MIC directed JNIMS authority to conduct an enquiry against the particular doctor and submit a report within two months .

The MIC further directed authorities concerned to find out Government doctors who are practising at private clinics/hospitals .

RTI activist Ayekpam Keshorjit filed an RTI application to SPIO/JNIMS Director on September 22 last year seeking details of JNIMS doctors and staff who are practising at private clinics/hospitals and actions taken up against them, if there are any .

Private practice by Govt docs goes unchecked

Even though the RTI activist received a reply from the JNIMS Director quite late, he was not satisfied with the reply.

Subsequently, a complaint was lodged at the MIC.

Based on the same complaint, MIC took up an appeal case .

Keshorjit who was the appellant of the case came up with a volume of documents which may be used as proof of the particular ENT doctor practising at Leo Clinic, Singjamei Chingamakha .

Later MIC directed the JNIMS Director to constitute an enquiry committee and probe into the reported private practice of the particular doctor .

The Director was also directed to take up befitting action against the doctor as per JNIMS service rules if he is found practising at the private clinic .

MIC further instructed the Health Commissioner to direct the Health Services Director as well as the JNIMS Director to find out all Government doctors practising at private clinics/hospitals and take up befitting action against them .

Acting on the MIC's instruction, Health Commissioner PK Singh issued a memorandum which directed the JNIMS Director to ascertain whether the particular ENT doctor was practising at Leo Clinic too .

Even as Keshorjit filed another RTI application enquiring how far the Health Commissioner's memorandum has been translated into action, there has been no response from JNIMS authority prompting the RTI activist to file a second appeal to the MIC .

Later, JNIMS authority brought a document about constitution of a five-member enquiry committee headed by Medical Superintendent Prof L Ranbir as chairman .

The then JNIMS Director Prof L Deben directed the committee to submit a report within three weeks .

The committee held a meeting on May 9 and decided that it would be more appropriate to form a committee including members from outside JNIMS to probe into the issue as it involves a doctor working at JNIMS .

Even though the meeting was said to be held at 2 pm of May 9, signatures of the participants said that the meeting was held on August 9 and August 10 .

Prof L Ranbir submitted an enquiry report on the JNIMS Director on August 9.After sleeping over the report for sometime, present JNIMS Director Th Bhimo wrote to his RIMS counterpart on October 13 to enquire into the matter .

As RIMS authority showed little interest in the matter, JNIMS authority approached the Health Services Director.

Later, Health Director issued a memorandum on November 18 about constitution of an enquiry committee .

Even though the committee was directed to submit a report within two weeks, its chairman and members have not been spelt out .

Notably, Government doctors are paid 25 per cent of their basic pay as non-practising allowance in addition to their monthly salary.

But the whole process of dealing with Government doctors practising at private clinics/hospitals looks like some influential officials have been condoning such unlawful and unethical practices, the sources added.