Its official: Total Ban on Private Practice in Telangana

Hyderabad: After the nod from the Chief Minister of the State, the Health and Family Welfare Department of Telangana has finally banned Private Practice for the newly recruited Government doctors in the State.

The confirmation regarding this came from the Government Order issued by the State Health Department on 07.06.2022 that mentioned, "Henceforth there shall be a total ban on private practice for the Doctors recruited through Direct recruitment / Doctors filled by transfer from non-teaching side recruited after the issue of this notification shall not be allowed private practice."

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the State Government had been contemplating to put a ban on private practice of the newly recruited doctors. It was decided that after making the necessary changes in the rules and introducing a new clause in the recruitment laws, the Government would release the notification for the appointment of more than 3,000 doctors in the State.

Also Read: Private Practice ban for new Govt docs approved in Telangana

In fact, Chief Minister of the State, K. Chandrasekhar Rao had also given his nod for this rule of banning private practice for the newly recruited government doctors.

Finally, acting on the idea, the Health Department has issued a Government Order on 07.06.2022. Referring to the Telangana Medical Education Service Rules issued on 4.5.2002, the Health Department in the G.O. Ms. No. 56 mentioned that the Director of Medical Education has requested the Government to amend the Rules and after examining the matter the Government has decided to amend the Rules suitably.

"In exercise of powers conferred by the provision to Article, 309 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Telangana hereby makes the following amendments to the Special Rules for the Telangana Medical Education Service Rules issued in the G.O.Ms.No.154. HM&FW (A2) Department, dated 4.5.2002 as subsequently amended from time to time," read the order.

Referring to the amendments, the order added, "In Rule 11, after (a) the following shall be added namely:-(b) Henceforth there shall be a total ban on private practice for the Doctors recruited through Direct recruitment / Doctors filled by transfer from non-teaching side recruited after the issue of this notification shall not be allowed private practice."

The order further mentioned, "In Annexure-I for Rule 3 under the table after Note-6; the following Note shall be added namely:-

Note :7 Determination of equivalence of the qualification of DNB (Broad Specialties) with MD/MS and DNB (Super Specialties) with DM/MCh - The Diplomate of National Board (DNB) in broad specialty and super specialty qualifications when granted in a medical institution with attached hospital or in a hospital with the strength of five hundred or more beds, by the National Board of Examinations, shall be equivalent in all respects to the corresponding broad specialty (MD/MS) and super specialty (DM/MCh) postgraduate qualification, but in all other cases, senior residency in a medical college for an additional period of one year shall be required for such qualification to be equivalent for the purposes of teaching.

Note :8 All the specialists doctors should register their P.G. degree with Telangana State Medical Council."

Earlier, back in 1983, the TDP government led by former Minister NT Rama Rao had considered a similar ban barring doctors from private practice. However, the doctors had resisted against the rule and ultimately during the first term of former Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, these restrictions had been relaxed.

Recently, when the Government started considering the ban on private practice, the doctors started pointing out the huge disparity in the pay between doctors employed at government, private and central hospital. Referring to this disparity, the doctors employed at the government hospitals in Telangana had started demanding Non Practicing allowance (NPA) in exchange of not continuing their private practice.

President of healthcare reforms doctors association (HRDA) Mahesh Kumar told the daily, "The public might feel this is a good move and would improve services at government hospitals. Not so. If meritorious and highly skilled doctors can't have an additional income, and when there are offers of big packages in the private sector, they will think twice about joining government services."