Cuttack, July 28: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to act on a complaint of "illegal private practice" by government doctors here and in Bhubaneswar.

A complaint before the NHRC had alleged that government doctors in the twin cities were violating conditions stipulated while allowing private practice.

"Medical officers in government employment are doing private practice without giving priority to their normal duties and emergency calls at odd hours, because of which patients are not getting proper health carereatment at government hospitals," the complaint to the NHRC had alleged.

The NHRC, however, has transferred the complaint to the state commission. "I received a copy of the NHRC order on Wednesday," Rohan Mohanty, complainant and president of the Odia Yuva Mancha, said today.

"The grievance raised relate to matters that are subjects of the state. Let the complaint be transferred to the concerned State Human Rights Commission under Section 13 (6) of Human Rights Act, 1993, for disposal in accordance with the provision of the act," the commission said in its order.

According to the prevailing order, the government allowed private practice of doctors with some riders. It specified that "private practice of medical officers in government employment shall be without detriment to their normal duties and shall not be resorted to within the duty hours specified for them" and that "the services of every medical officer shall be required if called upon to attend patients beyond the prescribed duty hours in hospitals, in case of emergencies arising even in odd hours". It also mandated that "private practice can only be done in consulting chambers of medical officers preferably on their residential premises".

"But medical officers in government hospitals and medical colleges are engaged in private practice," Mohanty's complaint alleged.

"There are nearly 1,000 private hospitals, nursing homes and pathological clinics in the twin cities. Instead of undertaking private practice in their consulting chambers as stipulated in the government resolution, the medical officers are found doing private practice by way of visiting them," Mohanty alleged.

The complaint, citing official records, pointed out that out of the 5,377 sanctioned posts for doctors, 1,281 posts were lying vacant alongside 245 of the 893 sanctioned assistant professors, associate professors and professors posts.