Gandhinagar: To cope up with the shortage of health specialists in government hospitals, Gujarat will soon introduce a policy to rope-in private practitioners to treat patients.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel made the announcement in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly while responding to a question on the shortage of child specialists in state-run hospitals.
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Patel, who also holds charge of the health department, informed the House that 58 posts of child specialists were to be filled in different state-run hospitals as of December 2020.
Patel added a majority of the doctors prefered private practice after receiving their degree and those who are working in government hospitals "just serve the stipulated bond period with the hospitals."
"In 2015, the state government issued an advertisement for the recruitment of 141 child specialists. At the end of the recruitment process, only six doctors were ready to serve in the government-run hospitals," Patel said.
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"Doctors were not even ready to serve part-time at a higher salary of Rs 85,000 per month at a time when the hospitals were running with the shortage of general physicians during the peak time of the COVID pandemic," he added.
"Even AYUSH doctors, mostly Ayurveda practitioners, were also not ready to join at a wage of Rs 30,000 per month to serve on Dhanvantari Raths," the deputy chief minister said.
He said "the availability of the lesser number of MBBS seats in Gujarat in the past is the main reason why doctors are not joining the hospital. But now, we have 5,500 medical seats in Gujarat and I am confident that we will get more doctors in future," he said.
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"Till now, private doctors were not allowed honorary service in state-run hospitals. That window was shut. Now, we have decided to take the services of renowned private doctors and the state government will come up with a policy in this regard soon," he said.
"Many private doctors want to serve society. Under the new policy, they will treat patients in government-run hospitals and also teach our medical students," he added.
