The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked the Maharashtra government to change the duty pattern of private specialists and other doctors who are serving in Covid hospitals. Currently, such doctors work for seven days without a break and are quarantined for a week after that. In effect, the private doctors do not serve non-Covid patients for two weeks, who also require their care urgently, said Maharashtra President of IMA, Avinash Bhondwe.
Bhondwe told BusinessLine that such a proposal has been moved by the IMA (Maharashtra), and it has been accepted in-principle by the State administration. It has been suggested that such doctors can work for a two-hour shift every working day. After that, they will get sanitised in the hospital and go back to private practice. In the event of a Covidpatient developing severe symptoms, doctors will remain on call and can come back immediately to the Covid hospital. In some cases, telemedicine can also be used effectively by the specialist to guide the treating doctor at the hospital, he said.
He added that specialists are not required to monitor non-ICU patients 24X7. After their morning rounds, they can go back to their private practice. Change in the duty pattern will bring order and balance between the doctors, Covid patients, non-Covid patients and the State administration.