Greener pastures continue to lure govt hosp doctors in Lucknow to private fold
In a government set-up, the reward for work is missing. Money may be one reason, but job satisfaction too went missing in the past few years as politicisation of campuses made work difficult, says former faculty of KGMU
LUCKNOW The trend of top doctors crossing over from government hospitals to the private fold for greener pastures continues with at least three-dozen senior/experienced faculty members having quit premier institutes here in the past 5 years.
Over a dozen doctors have left King George’s Medical University (KGMU) with the latest being Dr Arshad Ahmad from the department of general surgery in March 2023. A few others include Dr Madhukar Mittal, endocrinologist; Dr Sunil Kumar, neurosurgeon; Dr Vijayant of CVTS department; Dr Vishal, Dr Vivek Gupta of gastro-surgery; Dr Manish Kumar Singh, neurology; Dr Sant Pandey, nephrology and Dr Manmeet Singh, organ transplant/urology.
“We have worked on increasing avenues for faculty. Now, we are able to retain our experienced and even young faculty members by giving them more opportunities,” said Dr Sudhir Singh, spokesperson, KGMU.
However, those leaving have a different perspective. “In a government set-up, the reward for work is missing. Money may be one reason, but job satisfaction too went missing in the past few years as politicisation of campuses made work difficult,” said a former faculty of KGMU.
Ironically, UP’s first medical oncology department was set up at the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, but the doctor who established it left the institute and is working in a private set-up in Lucknow. Dr Gaurav Gupta (medical oncology), Dr Prashant Verma (gastroenterology), Dr Manish Gutch (endocrinology), Dr Roma Pradhan of (endocrine surgery), Dr Dhananjay Singh (nuclear medicine) and Dr Rakesh Singh (neurosurgery) are among those who left the institute.
In the initial years, exodus of doctors also impacted Kalyan Singh Super Speciality Cancer Institute and Hospital, from where several doctors left and rejoined either their previous organization or moved on to a new one. Several departments here could not start or did not have staff/infrastructure. Dr Himanshu Yadav of anaesthesia department, who was looking after palliative care unit, left the institute in June 2024.
There is also a pattern of many doctors leaving the SGPGIMS over the past decade, citing high work pressure and insufficient pay as primary reasons. Dr Neeraj Rastogi from the PGI’s department of oncology resigned recently to join a private hospital. On an average, a specialist departs from the SGPGIMS every three years, exacerbating the challenge of maintaining high-quality patient care.
Dr DS Bhadauria from the nephrology department left a few months ago to join a private hospital. Last year, the head of department of gastroenterology, Dr UC Ghoshal and his wife Dr Ujjwala Ghoshal, along with former department heads Dr Amit Aggarwal and Dr Anshul Gupta, moved to the private sector.
Other notable departures include Drs Gaurang Majumdar, Anil Mandani, and Anand Prakash, who left for better working conditions in private hospitals. Around 40 leading doctors have resigned during the last six years.
A highly placed official at PGI stated that the state government has acknowledged this issue. Health department officials are aware of how private hospitals lure SGPGI doctors with better salaries and working conditions.
Some former doctors advocate revenue-sharing models to retain talent, suggesting that public hospitals should share earnings with their doctors.
Meanwhile, an SGPGIMS official said: “While the institute has initiated steps to improve working conditions, a more comprehensive government policy is required to address the systemic issues driving this exodus. Without such measures, the institute’s ability to deliver quality healthcare and education will continue to be compromised, further straining an already overburdened system.”
Another reason cited by faculty leaving campuses is private practice (PP) that is banned for all government doctors in UP. “Private practice is allowed in 22 states of India, but not in UP,” said another former faculty member.
Doctors get respect in government set-up, especially in medical institutes where they get opportunities for research work also. But the private sector offers good money. For example, if a government institute provides up to ₹2 lakh a month, there is restriction on private practice and hence doctors cannot see patients after they leave the institute campus. Working in a private set-up, the same doctors earn up to ₹5 lakh by working in two shifts.
NUMBER CRUNCH
# At least three-dozen specialist doctors have left premier medical institutes in the past 5 years to join private hospitals.
# The PGI has 110 vacant faculty positions in different departments.
# Around 7 doctors left PGI in 2019-20, while 5 left in 2023-24
# PGI’s research allocation was 0.17% of total non-plan grants. Many research projects remain incomplete due to a lack of staff