Superintendents of 12 hospitals attached to SMS Medical College resign over private practice ban

Jaipur: In protest against the government’s new rules prohibiting principals and superintendents of government medical colleges and their attached hospitals from engaging in private practice, the superintendents of 12 hospitals under SMS Medical College have collectively submitted their resignations.

The doctors resigned not only because of the ban on private practice but also because the government directed them to spend no more than one-fourth of their time on teaching as professors or senior professors.

The collective resignations were submitted on Monday to the Secretary of the Medical Education Department through SMS Medical College principal Deepak Maheshwari.

Also read- Rajasthan bans private practice for Principals, Superintendents of Govt Medical Colleges

To prevent the mass resignations, Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar called the protesting superintendents for a meeting within an hour. However, the talks failed, and another meeting has been scheduled at SMS Medical College on Tuesday to resolve the issue, as per a TOI news report.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Rajasthan government issued new guidelines to ensure the smooth functioning of medical institutions by banning private practice for principals and superintendents of government medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals. According to the announcement made by the Rajasthan Medical Education Department on Thursday, principals and superintendents will also not be allowed to spend more than one-fourth of their time on teaching duties as professors or senior professors.

Strongly opposing these rules, the Rajasthan Medical College Teachers' Association (RMCTA) had already given a memorandum to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, calling the guidelines “arbitrary and biased”.

Reacting to the situation, an Executive Member of the Rajasthan Chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) posted on ‘X’, "This is unprecedented. All Medical Superintendents of SMS Medical College have collectively resigned in support of RMCTA against the latest orders of the Medical Education Department. But there are also requests to the seniors working on administrative posts that when it comes to junior doctors, they should support them with the same prominence!

But unfortunately, even at that time, in their lust for positions, they side with the government and go against their own junior doctors! It is still the right time if unity is to be preserved; then show unity everywhere! Otherwise, slowly everyone's number will come, and all dominance will be of the bureaucracy and the babus, and keep following orders."

Also read- Patan Medical College Dean faces inquiry over alleged private practice