For ‘better’ care, govt docs route patients to their homes

For ‘better’ care, govt docs route patients to 
their homes
Have deployed own staff to distribute their visiting cards
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 8
A monthly salary of thousands of rupees is apparently insufficient for the doctors at the Civil Hospital here. This is because they have deployed personal staff outside their cabins to distribute visiting cards to patients with a “free” advice to meet them at their residence if they want better treatment.
Receiving such complaints from patients and their attendants, when this correspondent today visited the Civil Hospital, the “illegal” practice was found rampant. The orthopaedic section of the hospital was apparently the worst affected, where a number of youth were seen competing with each other to approach the patients in the corridor.
“It will take a long time if you keep on standing in the queue as the doctor sahib is very busy today. Better you keep this card (doctor’s visiting card) and come to his residence in the evening. I assure that you will be given preference. Moreover, I have apprehension whether you will be diagnosed here properly as the doctor is in a hurry to leave,” these were the words of a youth, deployed by one of the three orthopaedists of the Civil Hospital, Bathinda.
A visit inside the orthopaedic section revealed that one of the doctors had gone on some official duty, while two others were in their chairs, taking the help of three youngsters, present there.
When asked, one of the youths who was busy entering the names of patients in an unofficial register, attempted to disguise his identity but when pressed, he disclosed that he was the personal staff of the doctor, assisting him in his “tiresome” work.
A boy, speaking in a cheerful voice, said, “I am a sweeper here but after performing my official duty in the morning, I come here and help the doctor as I know how to plaster fractured and dislocated limbs.”
Surprised, the doctors intervened and said, “We are taking the help of these non-official persons just to cope with the staff crunch. They are willingly helping us. We admit that they are not medically qualified in applying plaster to the patients but they do everything under our supervision.”
About the boys distributing their visiting cards, with a suggestion to meet them at their residence, the doctors denied having any such information but claimed that it was all just to help the patients so that they could call them up for help any time.
On the other hand, various doctors of the Civil Hospital said that they usually received verbal complaints from the orthopaedists blaming each other for “grabbing” their patients. They added that the matter was very much in the notice of the higher authorities but due to their high level connections, no action could be taken till now.
On his part, the Civil Surgeon, ID Goyal said, “I am unaware of any such misdeed going on the hospital. Moreover, only if some formal complaint comes to me, can I initiate a probe.”
Speaking over the phone, administrative secretary of the health and family welfare department, Punjab, Satish Chandra expressed shock over the facts and said, “As it is a very serious issue, I will assign some senior official to initiate an inquiry into the matter. Whosoever is found guilty would be dealt with strictly.”