Strong Medicine

Government doctors in Punjab are bearing the brunt of the state’s newfound love for fiscal stringency. They will no longer be paid non-practising allowance (NPA), which works out to 25 per cent of their basic pay. And to compensate, private practice after duty hours will be legalised. The move has led to a furore with doctors across the state taking to the streets against the decision. There has also been a spate of resignations in several districts as many senior doctors thought it better to quit before the implementation of the notification on August 1 than lose out on their post-retirement emoluments. The Amarinder Singh government decided do away with the NPA after a survey revealed that about 37 per cent of the doctors practised privately on the sly, even after getting the allowance. The latest move, it’s feared, will hit public health services severely as more and more government doctors will take to private practice. Government doctors, who’ve launched a work-to-rule stir, say all should not be penalised for the sins of some.