The Assam government has taken a bold stand by enforcing strict guidelines that regulate government physicians' capacity to operate at private medical facilities during regular business hours. The Health and Family Welfare Department received instructions from the Medical Education and Research Department of the Assam government to take action so that government physicians are prohibited from working during designated duty hours in private hospitals or nursing homes.
The guidelines outlined below are for the Health and Family Welfare Department:
In accordance with this, the Director of Health Services, Assam, may be directed to give instructions to all Private Health Institutions registered under the Clinical Establishment Act to guarantee that no government physician shall practice in their facility during working hours.
To guarantee compliance with the provision, the Joint Director of Health Services, Assam may be directed to conduct recurring inspections of private Clinical Establishments.
The responsibility for adhering to the provision is with the private hospitals, nursing homes, etc. If any establishments violate the law, proper legal action should be taken against them.
A monthly report detailing these types of inspections must to be sent to the authorities together with suggestions for further action.
It is to be noted that the directives came out after the CM of the state, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, replaced AGP’s senior leader and Minister Keshab Mahanta by taking charge of the health ministry. His decision to take over as the health minister is being accepted positively by the people, as, right from his early ministrarial days to his last tenure as health minister in the Sarbananda Sonowal government, the now CM has developed the health sector in the state tremendously.