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| Doctor booked by VOK enjoys political patronage in every regime; Medicos seek CM's intervention | | Private practitioner to be member of SKIMS Governing Body | | Early Times Report
srinagar, Oct 30: A senior doctor at SKIMS Soura here who is infamous for indulging in private practice and has many cases filed against him is all set to be member of the Governing Body of this prestigious hospital in Kashmir.
This doctor, from Department of Surgery, despite various complaints of misconduct registered against him, was promoted by the previous Omar Abdullah government. Now he is set to be more powerful by becoming the member of the decision making body of SKIMS.
The "influential doctor", as per the hospital insiders, is so much into private practice that after consultation at his private clinic, he facilitates the surgeries of his private patients at SKIMS in lieu of huge fee, which runs in thousands and lakhs of rupees, he takes under the table.
"By making his private patients undergo surgeries at the hospital, he has no risk of being caught resorting to private practice and ends up grabbing big fee from the patients," the insiders said.
Official sources said the doctor was booked by State Vigilance Organization in 2012 and a FIR was lodged against him. "But still he was promoted to post of HOD by Abdullah regime and now with political patronage he is going to be member Governing body to promote private practice and other malpractices," said a delegation of SKIMS doctors adding that any such move would be detrimental for the hospital.
The SKIMS Governing Body is headed by Chief Minister as its chairperson whereas some reputed doctors and others from the field of medical sciences are its members.
Doctors at SKIMS said induction of a private practitioner into the Governing Body would simply mean that private practice would become a norm. "A private practitioner will never want private practice be banned and will instead look for means to promote it," the doctors said.
Officials said it was Governing Body SKIMS which had banned private practice. "The governing body of SKIMS in the year 1979 approved that 'All the posts of the institute shall be non-practicing and the scale of the pay for each category shall be inclusive of non-practicing allowance'. There is no choice of private practice irrespective of drawing NPA," the official documents state.
The official documents reveal that vide a Cabinet decision No 171/45 dated 4th Oct, 2000 and the Govt order no 195-F of 2000 dated October 2000, it was ordered that the doctors and the paramedical staff of SKIMS shall not indulge in any kind of private practice.
Subsequently in 2000 the private practice by a SKIMS doctor or paramedic was declared as criminal offence. "The criminal law ( amendment) ordinance no II of 2001 dated 10th July 2001 was followed by the criminal law ( amendment) act, no. XXVI of 2002 dated 23rd April 2002, passed by a unanimous vote of J&K legislature... It provided that any medical and paramedical staff of SKIMS shall be deemed to have committed the offence of criminal misconduct if he/ she resorts to private practice in any form or manner," official documents of the SKIMS Governing Body read.
The new law "also provided that whosoever, abets or aids in commission of this criminal misconduct or allows his premises or nursing home to be used for private practice shall be punishable with imprisonment of up to 3 years and shall also be liable to a fine of up to Rs 10,000."
Most recently, Chief Minister, many a times publicly advised the faculty of SKIMS to desist from indulging in private practice which is a criminal misconduct. "But unfortunately in spite of all these orders and laws, present Government has seemed to cross all limits by nominating a SKIMS senior surgeon to be member of prestigious Governing body member," the doctors said.
Sources said Director SKIMS, Dr Showkat Ahmed Zargar who had outlived his tenure, was favoring the name of "influential doctor" to be made member of the Governing Body. "He is doing so to be in the good books of the lobby which is supporting his being Director," the medicos said.
Meanwhile the doctors have appealed Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed not to make any tainted doctor member of the SKIMS Governing Body. |
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