RIMS Rejects Proposal to Spy on its doctors engaged in private practice

Ranchi: Taking note of the continuous protests by doctors of the hospital, the governing body of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) on Sunday dismissed a proposal for deploying private investigation agencies to spy on the doctors of the hospital.

While the proposal for spying was to find out if the doctors of the hospital are engaged in private practice outside duty hours, when the RIMS council recently met under the chairmanship of the State Health Minister Banna Gupta, it was dismissed.

Apart from continuous protests from the doctors, another reason for dismissing the proposal was the fact that it would have resulted in heavy expenditure, adds TOI.

Jharkhand government has banned private practices for its practising government doctors as the government provides them with non-practising allowance (NPA). The efforts to ensure that the government doctors are not engaged in private practice are not new at RIMS. 

In case of RIMS as well, the faculties are under a bond not to get involved in private practice outside their duty hours. For this, the doctors also receive a monthly non-practising allowance. However, over the past few years, several doctors of the institute have come under scanner for allegedly practising in private and remaining absent from duty.

Medical Dialogues had reported back in 2019 that a special vigilance team had been formed by the State Health Department to keep track of the RIMS, Ranchi doctors who were indulging in private practices.

Also Read: No Private Practice for RIMS Ranchi doctors: Health Department forms Vigilance Team

Later, in its 53rd annual meeting in 2021, the Governing Body of RIMS had first introduced the proposal for spying on its doctors. However, the proposal was opposed heavily by the association of teachers of the hospital. Again the proposal was being considered for approval back in 2022, but the hospital sources informed TOI that it was kept in abeyance after several members of the GB objected to it.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the GB of RIMS recently met under the chairmanship of State Health Minister and once again dismissed the proposal for spying on the doctors of the hospital.

The daily adds that the GB was held in the absence of Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, who was in Varanasi. MP Seth along with MLA Samri Lal had raised objections earlier this month regarding the GB meet and asked for the postponement as they required more time for inspecting the ground realities and amenities available for the patients at the hospital.

While the proposal for employing private investigation agency has been dismissed, the GB has given its nod for setting up a new block of outdoor and inpatient departments and extend the infrastructure of the existing super-specialty wing. Besides, the proposal for purchasing four battery-operated 10-seater vehicles for the transportation of patients and repairing the existing lifts has also been approved.

Also Read: Absent during duty hours, Show cause notice to 3 Senior Doctors of RIMS