Soon, private doctors to treat patients at government hospitals, PHCs, CHCs

Concerned over the acute shortage of doctors, the state government has decided to rope in private doctors, including specialists, to treat patients at government-run district hospitals as well as community and primary health centres across Uttar Pradesh.

A detailed proposal in this regard has already been sought from director general (medical and health services), said a senior official.

The move is aimed at ensuring proper and timely medicare to the sick at a time when the department is facing a shortage of around 7000 doctors, including around 1800 specialists, in the state.

The missive, dated May 2, instructs the DG (medical and health services), UP to submit a ‘well-planned’ proposal for engaging private doctors for voluntarily devoting time for treating patients at district hospitals as well as PHCs and CHCs immediately.

The initiative is personally being led by the state medical and health minister Sidharth Nath Singh, who during his meetings with doctors at Lucknow, Allahabad as well as Varanasi has urged them to devote at least four hours a week to serve patients at district hospitals as well as PHCs and CHCs.

Select states like Karnataka have in the past managed to introduce such a system effectively, said an official.

Various modalities like the fixed honorarium for these doctors and specialists besides a consultation fee from the government on the basis of the number of patients they attended while ‘on call’ would all be worked out by the medical and health department and submitted to the state government for approval.

“In light of acute shortage of doctors, we have decided to engage doctors with private practice on a transparent basis for the benefit of the citizens,” health minister had told Hindustan Times.

“Indian Medical Association will act as our facilitators for the initiative and it would be in coordination with its office-bearers that we plan to work out a duty roster for these doctors who volunteer for the task,” he added.

Camps to recruit doctors on anvil

As per an estimate, the state faces a 41% shortfall of medicos. UP has around 17,000 odd sanctioned posts for doctors and against which only around 10,000 have been appointed, while the remaining seats remain vacant. Out of the 10,000-odd doctors just around 3,700 medicos are specialists while the rest are MBBS doctors. “We are planning to hold recruitment camps for doctors all over the state to deal with the shortage and fill vacant posts of medicos. The proposal in this regard is being prepared and would be implemented after getting a go ahead from the state cabinet,” said UP medical and health minister Sidharth Nath Singh.