Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu today pulled up a government doctor for undertaking “private practice” at a hospital in Ropar, sources said here.
Sidhu pulled up Dr Surjit Singh, an orthopaedician posted as SMO at the Primary Health Centre in Bharatgarh, for
allegedly being involved in private practice.
Singh, who is due to join as a Civil Surgeon after a promotion, has denied that he was undertaking such practice.
She has also directed Civil Surgeon Dr Rajnish Sood to initiate departmental action against the SMO, and the police
to register a case against Singh.
Sidhu, who is the wife of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, said she had allegedly received several
complaints that the doctor was in private practice at Max City hospital being run by him, during duty hours.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had entrusted her the
responsibility of checking wrongdoings in the health department and she had the support of Health Minister Madan
Mohan Mittal, Sidhu said.
Ropar Civil Surgeon Dr Rajnish Sood has said a report in this regard would be sent to the government after going
through the record of the private hospital.
Ropar SHO Manvir Singh Bajwa said action would be taken in the matter after receiving a complaint from the Health
Department and seeking legal opinion on the same.
Meanwhile, the medical fraternity has disapproved the manner in which Sidhu, who sent a fake patient to Singh for
treatment, brought the matter to the fore.
Instead of humiliating the doctor in public through ‘sting operations,’ the Chief Parliamentary secretary could
have adopted more mature approach like issuing official warnings before taking such step as such things show medical profession in bad light,” Dr Ajay Jindal, director of SND Foundation hospital, said.
———————————–PTI