Doctors can do private practice in govt hospitals from March: Minister

Staff Reporter :
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday said that doctors of government hospital would be allowed to do private practices in their respective hospitals from March.
“Health Ministry wants to start this process from March 1. A pilot project is being launched for this purpose,” health minister said at a press briefing held at his office in the secretariat in the capital.
“The ministry wants to start institutional practice from next March 1. Fifty upazilas, 20 districts and five medical centers would be brought under a pilot project. Patients would get more treatment under this initiative,” the health minister said.
“The Practice in government institutes has been discussed so that the doctors can practice in their respective institutions. We formed a team to decide on who to practice, how long it would be and how to practice. The team will inform us. Institutional practice will start from March,” he said.
The Health Minister expressed hope that physicians would charge less in their respective government institutions in comparison to practice in private institutions or chambers.
The Health Minister said, “We hope to be able to implement it. Private practice is not a new concept. Guidelines will be needed to start this project. We will start working for it with all efforts, including time and money.”
“If any problem arises while working to implement this project, we would solve it,” the minister said.