KGMFA flays move to lift ban on private practice

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Thiruvananthapuram unit of the Kerala Government Medical Faculty’s Association (KGMFA) has protested against the government move to lift the ban on private practice. In a resolution passed by the general body meeting, the KGMFA has warned that if private practice is reintroduced, it will lead to the deterioration of academic and research activities as well as the patient care delivery of government medical colleges in the state.The KGMFA has argued that after one-and-a-half years of private practice ban, there has been an increase in the number of patients attending the OPD, patient care and academic activities. While there may be few lacunae in the implementation of the new model, they said that the fact remains that research, academic excellence and private practice cannot go hand in hand.‘’To survive in a world of increasing specialisation, medical colleges will have to focus on education and research. It is a mark of efficiency of our medical education system that we have now reached a stage where sufficient manpower exists in private and government healthcare sector to look after the healthcare delivery of the state. It is against this background, that we consider the decision to focus on education by abandoning private practice, a pertinent one,’’ said Ajith Kumar G, unit secretary of KGMFA.The KGMFA said that while there might be shortcomings in the implementation of the ban, it needs to be addressed by appropriate administrative response. Any progressive developmental steps will throw up fresh challenges when implemented and the government should face the challenge with a determination and rectifying any defects instead of taking the easy way out by going back to service conditions which have not produced any worthwhile achievements in academic sector in five decades, it argued.The KGMFA has urged the government to commit itself to measures that will make Kerala leaders in medical education and government medical colleges, the centres of excellence comparable to the best in the world.