Doctors oppose WB govt order on 72-hour private practice ban, demand withdrawal

Kolkata: Following the State Health Department's order barring government doctors from private practice for 72 hours around their designated 'admission day' at their attached government health facilities, medical associations in West Bengal have launched protests against the move.

Raising strong objections, the doctors described the order as 'discriminatory, arbitrary, and illegal' and demanded that the government withdraw the 72-hour restriction on private practice.

They stated that the order could effectively prevent many doctors from engaging in private practice throughout the week since 'Admission Day' for some faculty members comes once a week while in medical colleges with fewer faculty members; doctors might get two or three ‘admission days’ in a week.

What does the order say?

Medical Dialogues had reported that 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.

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.

The department said the restriction was aimed at ensuring that doctors remain available for closer monitoring of patients admitted under their care.

The order refers to the West Bengal Medical Education Service Rules, 2006, under which the government can withdraw private practice privileges in the public interest.

It emphasised that "closer and more intense monitoring of patients is necessary to be performed by the faculty and doctors on the respective admission days and continued for a further duration of 48 hours thereafter."

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

Opposition from doctors

Questioning the practical impact of the directive, the Association of Health Service Doctors, West Bengal (AHSDWB), described the order as "draconian and ill-conceived" and said its implementation lacks foresight and legal sustainability.

In a statement undersigned by Dr Utpal Bandyopadhyay, the AHSDWB outlined structural flaws in the mandate, noting that clinicians managing two weekly admission days would face an effective blanket ban on private practice.

The association further argued that if the government maintains its position, then the opportunity for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) must immediately be opened to enable doctors to choose their constitutional right to profession.

They also stated that government doctors who opt out of private practice get non-practising allowance (NPA), which doctors opting for private practice have to forgo.

In protest, AHSDWB organised a march to Swastha Bhaban and met the health minister. A detailed discussion was held with the minister regarding the issues which the doctors identified in the order.

The association, as quoted by Indian Express, said, "We do not accept the restriction on private practice without logic. Withdraw the 72-hour restriction. Non-Practicing Pay (NPP) is opted for voluntarily; coercing doctors to return it will not be tolerated. Withdraw the discriminatory, arbitrary, and illegal notification. We are committed to protecting the doctor-patient relationship and medical services. We are united, we are indomitable. We will not let our rights be snatched away.”

"He gave us time and tried to understand all the points and assured that these matters would be considered,” said orthopaedic surgeon Utpal Bandyopadhyay, general secretary of the AHSDWB.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Sajal Biswas, general secretary of AHSDWB, who submitted a deputation to the health minister, said, "Due to a shortage of doctors, in many medical colleges and across most departments have to perform ‘admission day’ duties twice or thrice a week. If they are barred from private practice for two days following an ‘admission day’, these doctors will essentially be unable to practice on any day of the week. In such a case, the right to private practice is effectively stripped away."

Meanwhile, Dr Rajiv Pandey, secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, noted the policy’s potential while highlighting critical gaps in execution and infrastructure.

"This step taken by the government, in a way, if we talk about the government healthcare system, is a welcome step to strengthen it. But at the same time, the facilities for doctors, the government doctors, should be improved further. Their salary package should be on par with the central government, and other facilities like living conditions and transport should be arranged… like on admission day, there are many doctors who have admission days twice a week. What will happen to them? Many doctors don’t have an admission day; what will happen to them? Like radiologists, dermatologists, and anaesthetists, they don’t have an admission day. So clarification on all these points is needed," he said.

NMC on private practice

The National Medical Commission (NMC) revised the norms on private practice and attendance for medical college faculty through an amendment to the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER) 2023, issued on March 11, 2026.

Under the amendment, faculty members are required to work full-time and are not permitted to engage in private practice during college working hours. The NMC has also made it mandatory for faculty members to maintain at least 75% attendance during the calendar year.

However, the amended norms make a specific provision for government doctors. In States where government rules permit private practice, government doctors may undertake private practice outside college working hours, but not during their duty hours.

Thus, the NMC bars medical college faculty from private practice during college working hours, while allowing government doctors to practise outside those hours where the concerned State Government permits such practice.

Also read- NMC amends private practice, attendance norms for medical college faculty, details