West Bengal Health Dept seeks Duty Rosters to check private practice by Govt doctors

According to the news reports senior officials from the Health Department are considering conducting surprise visits to monitor the attendance of doctors. Surveillance will also be implemented to ensure that doctors are adhering to their duty rosters. Additionally, the officials may review CCTV footage to verify the doctors' presence in the hospitals.

The issue of government service doctors working in private healthcare establishments during their official duties has long been a point of concern in state-run hospitals.

In response, the State Health Department has recently issued a fresh guideline stating that government service doctors in West Bengal will be prohibited from engaging duties in private practices from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Saturday. This directive specifically targets faculty members at state medical colleges, who are now mandated to work a full seven-hour shift each day and 42 hours a week.

Also Read: Unqualified ENT Practice: WB Medical Council issues show cause notice to PG Trainee

As per the recent media report by Millennium Post, the guidelines said, “Faculty members must not engage in private practice during duty hours (9 am to 4 pm, Mondays to Saturdays) and also during floor, emergency, or on-call duty hours.”

The new guideline stipulates that action will be taken against doctors who fail to discharge their duties properly according to the duty rosters. Any doctor found absent from the hospital during their assigned duty hours will face disciplinary measures.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during a recent meeting at Nabanna, directed the state Health Secretary, Narayan Swaroop Nigam, to implement measures that will hold doctors accountable and ensure improved patient care in government hospitals.