Health Deptt to check complaints against doctors

Health Deptt to check complaints against doctors
Nitesh Sangral	10/19/2012 7:31:00 PM
JAMMU, Oct 19: Concerned over repeated allegation against the Doctors and Para-Medical staff, Health Department has formed a committee to look into complaints and take necessary actions. Sources claimed that committees have been established for associated hospitals and for Health Department in both province of the state, so that complaints could be verified. In case of private hospitals and nursing homes, the committees are required to recommend to the management of the concerned hospital or the nursing homes to take action against the erring or negligent doctor or paramedic. In the committees for associated hospitals of Jammu and Srinagar Medical Colleges, Principal of the concerned Medical Colleges will be the chairman, Head of Department (HOD) of the concerned specialty and administrator associated hospitals as its members. Recently in an affidavit filed before the High Court, Secretary Medical Education Department, Manoj Dwivedi had also admitted that there was no system of accountability in medical Services of the state. According to the affidavit, the committee would be responsible to look into the complaints made against the doctors or paramedical staff working in the hospitals under the respective jurisdiction of the committees. “The committee would recommend disciplinary action to the concerned competent authority wherever negligence or professional misconduct on the part of these medicos or paramedicos is proved.” “It would be binding upon these committees to dispose of the complaints or the grievances against the doctors or paramedical staff within a time bound manner within a maximum period of four weeks, Dwivedi said”. Dwivedi also said in case a complainant is aggrieved by the decision of the concerned committee; he has to approach the administrative department which would look into the matter or complaint on merits. The committees, he said, are also required to hold “mortality meetings” in respect of the hospitals under their jurisdiction fortnightly and to take remedial measures. After perusal of the affidavit, the division bench observed that these are the “first blush steps” which have been taken by the state to regulate the medical services for its betterment to the common man.