No Private Practice for Guwahati Medical College Doctors, Says Assam Government

Guwahati, March 3, 2020:

Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced in the Assembly that the doctors pursuing their careers at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) will no longer be allowed to play their trade in the private health facilities.

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This comes amid complaints that GMCH doctors do not give enough time to the patients in the Government hospitals and their more lucrative assignments in the private sector keep them preoccupied, to the dismay of the common citizen.

Meanwhile, Assam Minister Biswa Sarma has also hinted at a new payscale for GMCH employees, at par with the AIIMS in Delhi, the premier health institute in the country. This is perhaps meant to offset the damage to the doctors' personal income that staying away from private practice might entail.

So, will this move by the Government solve the problems faced by the common folk?

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"This will cause inconvenience to the rich class, whereas the poor will be greatly benefited. The rich find it inconvenient to wait in line and do not mind shelling out the extra bucks. Whereas, the poor are used to waiting in queues. This time, however, the easy availability of doctors by banning them from private practice will ameliorate the problem...perhaps", said Bonasmi Bora, a local resident of Guwahati city, weighing in on the matter.

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