Kolkata, August 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The West Bengal Health Department is considering appointing specialist doctors from the private healthcare sector on a contractual basis to address the shortage of specialists in state-run hospitals.
Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee said the government would first seek to fill vacant specialist posts through regular recruitment. However, where shortages persist, doctors working in the private sector could be engaged on contract to strengthen services in government hospitals.
The move comes amid concerns among government doctors over a recent Health Department directive restricting private practice on days when patients are admitted under their supervision and for the following 48 hours. The rule effectively imposes a 72-hour restriction around each admission day and has triggered protests from sections of the medical fraternity.
Doctors have pointed out that specialist shortages mean some government doctors are assigned admission duties twice a week. Under the new arrangement, they could consequently face restrictions on private practice for several days, adding to concerns over workload and professional commitments.
Mukherjee said the government’s immediate objective was to ensure that no specialist doctor has to handle more than one admission day a week. He said postgraduate-qualified doctors available at district and sub-divisional levels could be brought into the public health system on a contractual basis.
The minister indicated that contractual recruitment could provide a faster way of addressing shortages than waiting for the completion of regular recruitment procedures.
West Bengal Doctors Forum president Dr Kaushik Chaki welcomed the proposal, saying that making private-sector specialists available to government hospitals could benefit patients. However, he stressed that contractual appointments should not replace permanent recruitment and called for transparent identification and filling of vacancies for doctors, specialists, super-specialists and other healthcare workers.
The government’s proposed move is expected to provide additional specialist support to state-run hospitals while reducing the workload on existing government doctors.
FOLLOW NOW
