Bengaluru: The Karnataka govt restricted the private practice of govt doctors to outpatient consultations only, following recent cases of neglect of care, some of which even led to a couple of deaths in state-owned hospitals.In an order issued Wednesday, the govt clarified that its doctors will not be allowed to consult inpatients in their private practice.In its communication, the health department said various statutory authorities, including the Lokayukta, had flagged the neglect of care in govt hospitals. The Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission had also recommended regulation of private practice by govt doctors to ensure priority to public service.“We saw a few serious cases of neglect of care in recent months, which led us to take measures for the regulation of private practice. If a doctor treats an inpatient, then they are expected to be there for the patient when there is a complication or emergency. While govt doctors are allowed private practice only after their official duty hours, we noticed that they get calls from private institutions even during their hours of duty,” Harsh Gupta, principal secretary, health department, told TOI.He said similar regulations are in place in other states, including Kerala, where private practice is permitted only for OPD services under strict conditions. He also emphasised that, as instructed before, govt doctors can opt for private practice for OPD cases only at one private clinic or hospital, the details of which shall be declared to the govt.The order will come into effect immediately, and violation of these conditions will be treated as misconduct and will attract disciplinary action.
