BMC suspends ‘missing doctor’, sends notice to another

“We had already received complaints against him of not being present at work during the usual working hours. When I visited the hospital, I found him absent yet again. It became necessary to take action against doctors who skip work in civic hospitals,” Deshmukh told Newsline.

Another senior doctor from Nair hospital’s orthopaedic department (name withheld) was sent a show-cause on Wednesday for his frequent non-availability during working hours. Dr R N Bharmal, dean at Nair hospital, said, “He has now been given 24 hours to reply to the show-cause notice.”

While professors, assistant professors or associate professors working in BMC hospitals are allowed to consult patients in private clinics or handle cases in any one private hospital after or before their normal working hours in their respective hospitals, they are not given non-practising allowance (NPA), which is an additional incentive, a certain percentage of their salary, given to doctors who work exclusively in civic hospitals.

Currently, of the total 770 doctors in civic-run hospitals, 160 senior doctors are practising in private hospitals too. Of these, 36 are from Nair hospital, 71 are from KEM hospital and 53 are from Sion hospital.

According to civic authorities, investigations against five doctors from two tertiary hospitals, KEM and Sion, began last month. Limaye, who was also chief of interventional neuroradiology department at KEM hospital, was already under the BMC scanner.

According to Dr Suhasini Nagda, director of medical education and major hospitals in BMC, a circular was issued to all the private hospitals in the city in May this year, seeking their cooperation in keeping an eye on doctors who were attached with public hospitals and were also working in private hospitals. The letter was sent to ensure a doctor did not give a common consultation time in both the hospitals.Working hours for doctors in civic hospitals is from 9 am to 5 pm.

tabassum.barnagarwala@expressindia.com