Doctors Non-Practice Pay Issue Hangs Fire In Haryana

THE ISSUE of granting non-practice allowance (NPA) to Government doctors in Haryana is hanging fire.

While the present Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had announced NPA to State doctors from January 1 this year, the 'delay' in implementation of the scheme has sent a wave of resentment among a large number of doctors.

According to sources, the 'delay', which had been mainly caused by Assembly elections last month, has become longer as the State Government has reportedly decided to seek opinion of some experts as whether to give NPA or allow the Government doctors to 'practice' privately. The NPA is 2.5 per cent of the basic pay and the doctors getting this facility is not permitted to do private practice. It is learnt that certain senior officials including some bureaucrats, who are opposed to grant NPA have advised the Chautala government to 'reconsider' the issue as the decision of granting NPA might become a 'financial burden' on the already 'crunch-hit' government. It is reported that the State Government will have to shell out an additional amount of about Rs 500 crore per year from its exchequer to pay NPA.

 

Some of the officials have reportedly favoured the idea of allowing the doctors to 'practice' instead of giving NPA. It is claimed that this would not only save the Government of major financial burden, but it would also improve the earnings of the institute or hospital where the doctor is working as 40 per cent of the income from such practice goes to hospital or Government. But a large section of the doctors belonging to Haryana Civil Medical Service (HCMS) is against allowing private practice. They are of the view that such a 'system' had been tested earlier in Haryana, Bihar and UP and it had 'miserably failed' as the services to poor patients deteriorated. A senior doctor belonging to HCMS said "not granting NPA to doctors was also a violation of the national health policy which prescribes to grant NPA to Government doctors. He alleged that a section of bureaucrats had misguided the Chief Minister and as a result it is getting delayed.

He said doctors community had welcomed the announcement made by Mr Chautala before the elections to grant NPA on pattern of other States. He said the CM must fulfil his promise now. He warned that the services of medical institutes like PGIMS, Rohtak would suffer if the doctors were allowed to 'practice privately'.