Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Nov 4: The much talked about Government run paid evening clinics of various specialties are all set to start functioning from tomorrow as the various Heads of Departments in Government Medical College Jammu have finally given consent offering their service for the same.
For these paid clinics in GMC Jammu, Super Specialty Hospital and SMGS Hospital, the senior doctors will be available in the OPD on specific days in each week for two to three hours from 5 p.m.
The HoDs, who will provide consultation in the evening clinics, include Dr Sunil Gupta of Urology, Dr S K Bali of Nephrology, Dr Naseeb Chand Dingra of Surgery, Dr Dinesh Gupta of Ophthalmology, Dr Anil Mahajan of Medicine, Dr Ashutosh Gupta of Radiotherapy, Dr Indu Koul of Gynae, Dr Sunil Kotwal of ENT, Dr Dev Raj Dogra of Dermatology and Dr Noor Ali of CTVS.
The Government will charge Rs 300 as the consultation fee from each patient in these clinics. Twenty five percent of the consultation fee will go to the State Revolving Fund while the remaining Rs 225 will be paid to the attending doctor.
For the paid consultation, Dr Sunil Gupta and Dr S K Bali will be available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in OPD block of the Super Specialty Hospital from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Similarly, Dr Naseeb Chand Dingra, Dr Dinesh Mahajan, Dr Anil Mahajan and Dr Ashutosh Gupta will be available in the OPD Block of GMC Hospital from 5p.m to 8 p.m. except Dr Dinesh Gupta who will provide paid consultation from 5 p.m to 7 p.m on all working days excluding Monday.
As per the duty roaster for these Government run paid clinics, Dr Nasib Chand Dingra will be available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday; Dr Anil Mahajan on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; Dr Ashutosh Gupta on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Dr Indu Koul, Dr Sunil Kotwal and Dr Dev Raj Dogra will provide paid consultation at SMGS Hospital OPD Block from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dr Indu Koul will be available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; Dr Sunil Kotwal on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; Dr Dev Raj Dogra on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Dr Noor Ali will provide paid consultation at Super Specialty Hospital OPD Block from 5p.m to 7 p.m on each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
The Government has also prepared different medical packages for the medical investigation of patients, their treatment and admission in these evening clinics.
According to the Minister for Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din, these evening clinics are meant for middle class who can afford to pay for the medical facilities. The paid OPD will not affect normal functioning of these hospitals but further improve the same as the State Revolving Fund will be utilized for strengthening the infrastructure, he added.
Even as the paid evening clinics in Srinagar are operation for the last several months, it took more than seven months to the Government for securing consent of HoDs and other medical faculty members in GMC Jammu, who were voicing their reservations over the same notwithstanding a ban on their private practice in January last.
In a bid to tighten noose around the HoDs, the Government had also constituted an inspection committees for reporting compliance of the ban on private practice. The inspection committee comprises Mansoor Chowdhary (KAS), Personnel Officer GMC Jammu and Dr Riyaz Ahmed, Medical Superintendent of Super Specialty Hospital Jammu, were asked to inspect and regularly report to the Principal GMC for further submitting a monthly report to the Health and Medical Education Department.
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