Mumbai: Senior doctors can’t leave BMC hospitals before 4 pm, say officials

Mumbai: In a setback for senior doctors of civic hospitals, who usually ignore treating poor patients and enjoy perks by practising in private hospitals during their duty hours, will now have no other option but to skip their private visits. These senior doctors will now have to wait in civic hospitals till 4 pm and by any means cannot ignore treating poor patients.

Senior civic officials plan to extend Out Patients Department (OPD) timings till 4 pm, associate professors, assistant professors and head of the departments will no longer be able to hand over their responsibilities to junior doctors and pursue private practice.

Currently, the civic officials are planning to extend the OPD timings from 8 am-12 pm to 4 pm.  “We will make sure by this move more poor patients will get benefitted who are dependent on the super speciality senior doctors of the hospital,” said Idzes Kundan, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health).

Kundan added as too much patient come at the OPD due to which it creates too much of chaos between doctors. “By this, it will ensure that new patients will be attended first in OPD. The follow-up patients will be called between 12pm-4pm,” said an official.

Despite introducing the biometric system in the civic hospital it was seen that ill practised continue by the senior’s doctors and hand over their responsibilities to the resident doctors and visit private hospitals or run their own private clinics. “With a change in timings, the senior doctors will also do the academic and administrative work and submit a daily report on the number of patients attended to their respective deans or medical superintendents,” added Kundan.

While doctors are opposing the move, citing various difficulties and existing workload. “The new timing change may introduce confusion and raised questions about their feasibility. “Only some departments have the liberty of lesser workload and the rest all have a busy schedule, with speciality clinics, minor and major surgeries post the lunch break,” said a psychiatrist from KEM Hospital.

The activists have welcomed the move saying it will reduce workload on morning OPDs and more patients will receive timely treatment.