NSF welcomes ultimatum served on in-service doctors

Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has welcomed the health department’s ultimatum served on in-service government doctors, availing or not availing Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) and engaged in private practice in their hospitals or in partnership, to either close down their private hospitals or to dissociate from such partnership within one month.

NSF president Kegwayhun Tep and general secretary Süpuni Ng Philo in a joint statement, ex-pressed the hope that strict implementation of the OM by the department would positively change the healthcare landscape in the state.

NSF said the department has “taken the right step forward” in order to check the menace of doc-tors availing NPA while still indulging in their private practices even during their duty hour. “This step will go a long way in ensuring that the ordinary citizens of the state are provided with proper consultations and care by the doctors serving in the government,” NSF stated.

Further, NSF stated that “unnecessary draining of the state exchequer” by such doctors “indulg-ing in moonlighting” could be checked and the resources utilized in other programme which would benefit the citizens of the state.

NSF reminded that, for a long time, it had been demanding that the DoHFW crack the whip on those doctors involved in private practice. NSF has appreciated the current dispensation led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio for exhibiting political will to correct the mistakes of the past and streamline the system of governance to ben-efit the common people.

NSF has, therefore, appealed to all the private hospitals, clinics and nursing home to strictly comply with the department’s OM by not engaging any in-service government doctors, nurses, technicians and health workers in their establishments.

The federation also appealed to all the deputy commissioners of the state to enforce the OM in letter and in spirit. NSF said it would “not tread lightly” if any dereliction from such a responsi-bility was brought to its notice.