Poor patients suffer as govt docs run private hospitals, clinics
Business of medicine responsible for health care mess, rising corruption: DAK
Voicing concern over government doctors running private hospitals, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that it is the main reason for dismal record of health care standards in government-run hospitals.Dismayed over allowing of full time government doctors to run private establishments, President DAK Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan in a statement issued here said that poor patients suffer the consequences.
“Public hospitals are the only places where poor can still seek health care at no or minimal cost,” DAK President said.
“Majority of our population is still poor and cannot afford expensive treatment in private hospitals,” Dr Hassan said, adding “Diverting human resource from government hospitals to private sector deprives poor and underprivileged of essential health care.”
“He said that also this dual practice creates a pervasive incentive for doctors to increase waiting times so that patients are forced to go to private hospitals which can be described as the ‘greedy preying on the needy’,” he said.
“This business of medicine is responsible for health care mess and rising corruption in health sector,” he said.
“There is misuse of hospital facilities like out of turn admissions and surgeries for private patients in government hospitals and poor patients who cannot afford private consultations suffer.
“Private practice encourages doctors to make decision on the basis of profit which is a poor driver of clinical decision making,” he said, adding “Commercialism of medicine has led to abandonment of virtues and ideals that were central to medicine.”
The motive of economic gain which has entered into the practice of medicine has placed the well being of poor patients in serious jeopardy and has undermined the trust so essential to the doctor-patient relationship.
