72-hour private practice ban: West Bengal order triggers massive doctor protests

Consequently, the department mandated that “all faculty and doctors would be mandatorily debarred from engaging in Private Practice on the admission day and for two more days thereafter”.

The policy has drawn fierce opposition from medical associations. A senior doctor at a government facility said, “This order is a conspiracy to snatch away the rights of government doctors.”

Leading the opposition, the Association of Health Service Doctors, West Bengal (AHSDWB) condemned the order as “draconian and ill-conceived”, warning that its implementation lacks foresight and legal sustainability. In a statement undersigned by Dr Utpal Bandyopadhyay, the AHSDWB outlined structural flaws in the mandate, noting that clinicians managing two weekly admission days would face an effective blanket ban on private practice.

The association further argued that if the government maintains its position, “The opportunity for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) must immediately be opened to enable doctors to choose their constitutional right to profession.”

As doctors organised a march to Swastha Bhaban, AHSDWB issued a call to action detailing their demands.

“It was a united protest against unjust rules. We do not accept the restriction on private practice without logic. Withdraw the 72-hour restriction. Non-Practicing Pay (NPP) is opted for voluntarily; coercing doctors to return it will not be tolerated. Withdraw the discriminatory, arbitrary, and illegal notification. We are committed to protecting the doctor-patient relationship and medical services. We are united, we are indomitable. We will not let our rights be snatched away.”

Practical hurdles

While some acknowledge the intent behind the directive, they emphasise that practical operational hurdles remain unaddressed. Dr Rajiv Pandey, secretary of the Association of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes, noted the policy’s potential while highlighting critical gaps in execution and infrastructure.

“This step taken by the government, in a way, if we talk about the government healthcare system, is a welcome step to strengthen it. But at the same time, the facilities for doctors, the government doctors, should be improved further”

“Their salary package should be on par with the central government, and other facilities like living conditions and transport should be arranged… like on admission day, there are many doctors who have admission days twice a week. What will happen to them? Many doctors don’t have an admission day; what will happen to them? Like radiologists, dermatologists, and anaesthetists, they don’t have an admission day. So clarification on all these points is needed.”