Allahabad High Court asks government to bring policy on stopping private practice of doctors

Prayagraj: Expressing concern that government doctors are not attending patients in medical colleges and government hospitals, the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to come out with a policy to stop private practice of doctors.

Hearing a petition filed by the Head of Department in Moti Lal Nehru Medical College at Prayagraj, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal observed that doctors are referring patients to private hospitals "just for money".

"It has become a menace that the patients are being referred and dragged to private nursing homes and hospitals for treatment, and doctors who are appointed by the state government either under the provincial medical services or in the state medical colleges are not treating and attending the patients in medical colleges and government hospitals, and just for the money they are being referred to private nursing homes and hospitals," the judge said.

The present case arises after a complaint filed by one Rupesh Chandra Srivastava before the consumer forum for wrong treatment given to him by the petitioner, Dr Arvind Gupta, in a private nursing home in Prayagraj district.

On January 2, during a previous hearing in the case, the court took serious note of the involvement of a professor of state's medical college in a private hospital.

Pursuant to the order dated January 2, 2025, the state's counsel on Wednesday submitted that a letter has been issued by the Principal Secretary, Medical Health and Education on Monday to all districts with state medical colleges, that the rules which were framed by the UP government on August 30, 1983, restricting private practice, should be enforced with rigour.

As per an order dated August 30, 1983, government doctors shall not be entitled to private practice. In lieu of private practice, a government doctor shall be paid non-practising pay or allowance or both, as the government may specify from time to time.

The high court in its direction on Wednesday also directed that a personal affidavit of the Principal Secretary, Medical Health and Education be filed within two weeks on the enforcement of the government order of 1983.

The court further directed the government should also come out with a policy for stopping private practice of the doctors appointed in provincial medical services and district hospitals.

The court listed the next hearing of the case on February 10.