West Bengal bars Govt doctors from private practice for 72 hours after patient admission

Kolkata: The West Bengal Health Department has decided to bar faculty members and doctors at government medical colleges from engaging in private practice on the day they admit a patient to a government hospital and for the next 48 hours.

The directive has come into effect immediately and is intended to ensure that faculty members remain available to patients under their care during the crucial period following admission.

What does the new rule mean?

Faculty members at Government Medical Colleges usually have designated days for admitting patients. Under the new directive, doctors will have to remain available for government hospital duties on the day of admission as well as the following two days.

This effectively creates a 72-hour restriction on private practice, beginning from the date of admission.

The rule is likely to have a greater impact on doctors who have more than one admission day each week. In such cases, the restriction may leave them with limited days during which they can undertake private consultations.

Focus on continuity of patient care

The Health Department has justified the decision on the grounds of ensuring continuity of care for patients admitted to government hospitals.

Officials said the restriction is intended to ensure that faculty members responsible for admitted patients remain accessible and can continue to oversee their treatment instead of being engaged in private practice during the immediate post-admission period.

The move is expected to particularly affect faculty members attached to government medical colleges, who often divide their professional time between teaching, government hospital duties and private practice.

According to the PTI report, “The restriction will apply from the day of admission and for the next 48 hours. The intention is to ensure continuity of care and the availability of the treating faculty for admitted patients,” the official said. The order is expected to directly affect private practice by faculty members of government medical colleges.

Doctors raise concerns, patients welcome move

The directive has raised concerns among some doctors, particularly over patients who are already receiving treatment from them at private hospitals. They have expressed apprehension that the restriction could affect the availability of doctors for such patients.

Some patients, however, have welcomed the decision, saying that ensuring the presence of treating faculty at government hospitals could improve access to specialists and strengthen continuity of care after admission.