Unethical practices at private clinics plague Kashmir's healthcare

Baramulla: Recently, a well-respected doctor with over 8 years of private practice in Baramulla was forced out of his clinic for the second time for refusing to prescribe excessive medication to patients.

The doctor, who faced a similar situation in Sopore town previously, refused to comply with the demands of the clinic owner, who also operates a pharmacy within the clinic.

This sheds light on a widespread practice among healthcare professionals in north Kashmir.

This incident has cast a spotlight on a disconcerting trend prevailing across Kashmir, particularly in the Baramulla district, where healthcare ethics seem to have taken a backseat for financial gains.

Many doctors across north Kashmir practice within privately owned establishments that often feature attached pharmacies.

These establishments have come under scrutiny for encouraging doctors to prescribe additional medications, some of which may have little or no relevance to the patient’s ailment.

And when a doctor doesn’t oblige to their demand, he or she is asked to vacate the premises to make way for some other doctor.

Even more troubling is the prevalence of doctors practicing at clinics established by their close relatives, including brothers, where patients are coerced into purchasing unnecessary medications and undergoing superfluous medical tests.

This practice places an undue financial burden on patients already grappling with health issues.

The ethical dilemma of over-prescription has raised significant concerns among healthcare professionals and residents alike.

The patient’s well-being appears to be compromised in these establishments, where profit takes precedence over ethical medical practice.

The concerned residents assert that this unethical practice is pervasive across most parts of Kashmir. Privately owned clinics or polyclinics often allow doctors to practice only when they prescribe additional medicines, driven by motives of making profits.

Some doctors engage in this practice as part of an arrangement with the clinic owners, who provide them space to practice.

Fayaz Ahmad of Baramulla town said that many doctors across the district have invested in these clinics or polyclinics where they also have a stake in the attached pharmacy.

To recoup their investments quickly, over-prescription has become a norm.

Testing labs at these polyclinics are also exploited to maximise profits from patients’ suffering.

“There is no intervention from the State administration on this unethical practice,” Ahmad said. “Doctors are at liberty to prescribe additional medicines, draining patients economically.”

Muhammad Ashraf, another local, sharing his experience of receiving a prescription from a doctor working at a government hospital as well as in a private clinic, said he discovered that the prescribed medicine was readily available at the clinic owned by the same doctor, while nearby pharmacies lacked the stock.

This shows the depth of the nexus involved in this practice.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Baramulla, Dr Bashir Ahmad, emphasised that conscious awareness and concern for society must prevail in these situations, as there were no specific guidelines to address such practices.

As the healthcare community grapples with this ethical dilemma, the spotlight remains on the need for comprehensive reforms to ensure the well-being and financial security of the patients in Kashmir.