Segregate clinical, administrative duties, let doctors focus on patient care, not paperwork: Rights panel

Gurgaon: Aiming to reduce the pressure of paperwork on specialist doctors and allow them to focus on their clinical duties, the State Human Rights Commission in Haryana has recommended segregating clinical and administrative responsibilities in public healthcare centres. 

The Commission made this observation recently while hearing a plea filed in 2023 regarding the State's inadequate healthcare infrastructure and facilities.

It also directed the Additional Chief Secretary of Health and Family Welfare and the State's Director General of Health Services to submit their response on the matter within eight weeks. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 12, 2025.

Commenting on the matter, the public relations officer of HHRC, Puneet Arora, on Tuesday said, "The officials have been asked to present their responses via video conference before the commission. The next hearing is scheduled for August 12."

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As per the latest media report by Times of India, observing that the State should reform its public healthcare system, the bench of HHRC Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, mentioned in its order,

"Ensuring that healthcare professionals are not diverted from their primary role of patient care by bureaucratic tasks is essential for delivering high-quality, efficient medical service. This separation not only optimises the use of medical expertise but also upholds the human right to health — specifically, the right to timely, specialised, and appropriate treatment."

It also observed that the division of clinical and administrative work would help ensure work-life balance for medical staffers.

"Overloading specialists with administrative duties may lead to stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction. This compromises their mental and physical well-being, which ultimately affects the quality of care they can provide," opined the Commission.

The Commission further added that administrative duties can be assigned to the medical superintendent or other staff who have received training specifically for these tasks.

In its order, the Commission highlighted the need for a proper work environment for specialist doctors and observed that the specialists should be provided with an environment that allows them to dedicate themselves to patient care.

"This includes the right to work with the necessary support staff, such as administrative officers or medical superintendents, to handle operational responsibilities," observed the Commission. 

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