PESHAWAR, March 1: The public sector doctors seem to be at loggerheads with the health department as the institutional-based private practice by the doctors started in the province on Friday.

Throughout the day, the health officials remained busy to ensure the commencement of the institutional-based private practice of public sector doctors.

However, only a small number of the public sector doctors opted to turn up to begin private practice in the government-run hospitals in the evening as a large number of such doctors neither attended their private clinics nor the government hospitals, showing disrespect to the health department’s notification dated Feb 9.

Under the notification, an across-the-board ban was imposed on the private practice of public sector doctors. In line with the government’s instructions, issued from time to time after Feb 9, they were required to start their private practice in the public sector hospitals instead of their private clinics from March 1.

The majority of doctors chose to stay away from the government hospitals after the Doctors’ Joint Action Committee (DJAC) decided at a meeting that it would not cooperate with the government.

The DJAC meeting, according to a press release, decided that in compliance with the ban the private clinics of public sector doctors would be closed down.

At the same time, it decided not to comply with the government’s instructions viz-a-viz the institutional-based practice.

The meeting observed that as the institutional-based private was optional, therefore the doctors would opt to keep themselves away from the government-run hospitals in the evening.

According to one of the disgruntled doctors, “the meeting concluded that they [doctors] would neither attend their private clinics nor would they carry out private practice in the public sector hospitals in evening”.

Their stand made the situation complex as Health Secretary Habibur Rehman announced “strict action” against those public sector doctors who would not carry out private practice in the government-run hospitals.

“It [the institutional-based private practice] is compulsory for the public sector doctors ... and all those who chose to stay away from the same would be acted against in accordance with the law,” said the secretary at a press conference on Friday.

According to him, such doctors would shortly be issued notices to explain their position as to why they did not join the institutional-based practice.

“They have no option other than to join the institutional-based practice,” said the secretary in reply to a question.

Meanwhile, Dabgari Garden, the hub of public and private sector doctors’ clinics and medical centres in Peshawar, experienced little activity on Friday.

The public sector doctors kept their clinics in the Auqaf Plaza, Khyber Medical Centre and many other places closed.

Earlier, the health personnel were seen removing the signboards from the private clinics of public sector doctors at various places in the city.

However, despite the ban some of the public sector doctors made arrangements to see patients in the evening at their homes. The staff at their clinics, in some of the cases, was seen directing visiting patients to consult the doctors concerned at their residences.