Bihar sets up panel to ban private practice by Govt doctors
private practice
Patna: The Bihar government has announced the formation of a committee to consult on the implementation of a proposed policy that seeks to ban private practice by government doctors. Under the policy, the doctors working at state-run hospitals, medical colleges, and health institutions will no longer be allowed to engage in private practice outside the public healthcare system.
The move is part of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s flagship governance initiative, Saat Nischay-3.
The decision aims to guarantee the consistent availability of medical professionals in government facilities and to enhance the speed and standard of care, particularly for economically weaker sections. In the wake of the announcement, the Health Department has set up a senior-level panel to draft detailed guidelines and an execution framework for the new rule, reports Patna Press.
Officials said that the policy follows persistent grievances that certain state-employed doctors were giving preference to their private establishments during working hours, resulting in neglect of patients at public hospitals. The administration has also expressed plans to introduce financial and other incentives, especially for postings in backward and hard-to-reach regions, to offset the loss of supplementary earnings and promote improved healthcare services beyond urban areas.
The policy compels doctors to make a full-time commitment to public service to ensure that people do not feel the need to rely on private practice. Officials stated that the step would also provide respite for rural patients who had to travel long distances to seek treatment from cities. “The objective is to strengthen health services and restore public trust in government hospitals,” a senior official said.
Dr Rekha Jha, director general (nursing and disease control) will head the policy-drafting committee in the health department and the superintendent of Patna Medical College and Hospital, the principal of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Dr K K Mani, president of the Bihar Health Services Association, its general secretary Dr Rohit Kumar, and Dr Vibhuti Prasad Singh, head of ophthalmology at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences will also be part of the team as members. The committee is supposed to submit its recommendations soon, after which the final policy will be notified, paving the way for a statewide ban on private practice by government doctors, reports The Daily.
The committee included representatives from doctors’ associations, and the government has ensured that, instead of unilaterally imposing the ban, it will be implemented after due consultations with stakeholders. Health officials said that implementing the proposed idea effectively will cut patient waiting times while ensuring doctors are available. It'll also track and reduce unnecessary referrals from the public to private facilities.
