Private practice of government physicians

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced on August 27 that government physicians would be able to see patients as part of their private practice at their hospitals after duty hours. She, however, made it clear that the physicians would not be allowed to carry out private practice elsewhere. We hope, the prime minister's directive would ensure availability of physicians at the government hospitals, community clinics etc and the patients will get proper treatment.

Currently, doctors posted at government hospitals often remain absent or are not found during their duty hours. As a result, the patients, especially the poor and the ones in rural areas, suffer. One of the main reasons for this situation is that the physicians are often busy visiting private hospitals, clinics and laboratories and seeing patients in their chambers.

However, before implementation of the prime minister's directive, the hospital authorities need to ensure logistics support such as availability of nurses and staff so that the government physicians can see patients at their workplaces. The physicians serving government hospitals should also strictly follow the instruction - they should stop private practice outside their workplaces. It is important to restore discipline in the hospital services for the sake of helpless patients and building public confidence in the services provided by our doctors.

Zahidul Islam

Lalmatia, Dhaka