100 doctors at Mumbai civic hospitals served show-cause notices for prolonged absence

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued show-cause notices to 100 doctors at five major civic hospitals over alleged prolonged absence from duty. 

According to BMC officials, the notices were issued to 36 doctors at KEM Hospital, 30 at Sion Hospital, 24 at Nair Hospital, nine at Cooper Hospital and one at Nair Dental Hospital, according to BMC officials.

The action has prompted hospital deans to step up attendance monitoring and ensure that doctors remain available during their assigned hours. The BMC has also clarified that simply marking attendance will not be enough and that doctors will be expected to remain engaged in their official work. 

“We will ensure that they are not merely present in the hospital but are also productive during their official hours. The hospitals will keep tabs on such doctors and ensure they are at their desks on time, not idling or wasting time at the hospital. Their productive outcome will be monitored and assessed,” a senior BMC medical education official said.

The notices were issued following complaints that some doctors allegedly mark their attendance and then leave hospital premises to attend private practice. A resident doctor at a BMC hospital said some doctors were able to get around the attendance system despite biometric checks.

“In fact, these doctors, who moonlight in private clinics, are much more diligent in punching in their attendance on time. They mark their attendance and leave the premises,” the resident doctor said, the Daily reported.

BMC rules permit doctors to undertake private practice outside official duty hours. “They are permitted to work, but they must be in hospitals between 9 am and 4 pm,” a senior civic official said.

The issue is particularly significant for BMC hospitals, which handle large numbers of patients and provide specialised care to people from Mumbai as well as other parts of Maharashtra.

Resident doctors have also raised concerns that prolonged absence of senior doctors can increase their workload. They said junior residents may have to take on additional administrative responsibilities and assist with major procedures while also working extended shifts.

At the same time, some senior specialists have objected to attendance being treated as the sole measure of their contribution. One dean who received a notice argued that specialist doctors often work beyond scheduled hours, deal with emergencies, perform complex procedures and supervise resident doctors.

“These are specialists in their fields who can get into corporate hospitals at any given time for five times their current salary. Retaining experts is a task, and they cannot be equated with regulations like attendance. Apples cannot be equated to oranges,” the dean said, reports Hindustan Times. 

He added that any assessment should consider clinical duties, emergency availability, teaching, research and postgraduate mentoring along with attendance.