Private practice during duty hours: Gynaecologist Suspended, enquiry initiated

Kupwara: A Kupwara based doctor has been suspended by the officials after his video went viral on social media where he was seen practising at a private clinic at Babar Lane Kupwara in violation of his prescribed roaster at a government hospital.

As per a media report in the Greater Kashmir, the officials formed a four member committee to conduct an investigation against the doctor who was seen doing private practice during duty hours.

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An order was also issued by the Superintendent Sub District Hospital (SDH) Kupwara in this regard. It stated, "In compliance with the order received from Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Kupwara vide order no: CMOK/Kup/2022/48/1-484 dated 14-5-2022 an enquiry committee of four members is hereby constituted to enquire the whole incident of Dr Jamshed Consultant Gynaecologist whose video has gone viral on social media of practising during his duty hours."

The order further reads, "The members include Dr Abdul Khaliq Sheikh (Consultant Surgeon), Dr Sheikh Mohammad Iqbal (Consultant Physician), Dr Gulshan (DGO) and Syed Riyaz Ahmad Qadri (BAM). The committee has been asked to furnish the detailed report within a period of one day only for its onward submission to the higher authorities."

Speaking with GNS, officials said "The doctor, a Consultant Gynaecologist, was seen attending patients at Babar Lane Kupwara while he should have been attending OPD at Sub-district Hospital Kupwara," adding, "With no doctor available at the health facility (SDH Kupwara), the patients have either to go home or to approach private clinics."

CMO Kupwara, Dr Bashir Ahmad also expressed concern about the "dereliction" by the alleged doctor. He said, "He ought to be at the hospital as per roaster but it is deplorable that he was seen attending his private clinic in the prescribed time," adding, "It has been unanimously decided to suspend him and in the meantime, an enquiry has also been ordered in the matter."

The Medical Officer said, "Till there is an outcome of the enquiry, he will remain under suspension."

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the incident, the Chief Medical Officer Kupwara had advised clinical establishments across districts to not allow doctors to perform private practice during duty hours, reports the Kashmir News Service.

The CMO, in its communication to all clinical establishments across the district states, "it has come to the notice of undersigned that the Doctors working at various Government Health Institutions across District are doing private practice at various clinical establishments during office hour's hour, due to which it creates a bad impression and gives inconvenience to patients." It states, "In this connection, the circulars have been from time to time wherein all the establishments were informed to adhere themselves for allowing the government employed doctors to do practices at their clinical establishments."

The circular warned the doctors from doing private practice during duty hours, between 10 AM and 4 PM, adding that registration of that clinical establishment would be cancelled and action under clinical establishment rules and regulations Act- 2010 would be taken if they were found in the act.

Further, directing all the clinical establishments across the district to furnish the list of doctors practising there with the office of the undersigned within two days, the circular warned that, "any noncompliance will be dealt strictly under clinical establishment rules and regulation act-2010."