Govt bans GMC surgeon for prioritising private practice over public duty
Srinagar, Apr 10: The J&K government Thursday cracked a whip on a doctor and GMC Srinagar faculty member found to have indulged in unfair practice and operated upon hundreds of patients in the private sector while ignoring the patients in the public health sector for whom he had been employed.
An order issued by Secretary Health and Medical Education (H&ME), Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on 9 April, barred Dr Hanief Dar from carrying out private practice in J&K.
The decision, as per the order had been taken after evaluating the performance of the doctor in the government and private sector.
The doctor had carried out hundreds of surgeries in private hospitals under the health insurance schemes AB Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and AB PMJAY SEHAT schemes.
“Whereas, an evaluation of Dr Hanief Dar's work under the AB-PMJAY/AB PMJAY SEHAT scheme by the State Health Agency, J&K, revealed that he has performed 1807 surgeries exclusively in private hospitals, with no procedures recorded under the scheme at GMC Srinagar,” reads the order.
It said that the work-done report (of the doctor) from GMC Srinagar confirms that, despite being a full-time faculty member, his engagement in private practice significantly outweighs his contribution to government service.
The government, while taking a strong view of the poor performance in the public healthcare sector, where the doctor is employed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery (GMC Srinagar) has termed it “a serious violation of J&K Service Conduct Rules and Government directives on private practice by medical faculty”.
To set a deterrent, the H&ME Department has barred the doctor from private practice till an unspecified time throughout J&K.
“In exercise of the powers vested in the Government and in accordance with the relevant service rules, Dr Hanief Dar, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Government Medical College, Srinagar, is hereby prohibited from engaging in private practice across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with immediate effect,” the order reads.
