A number of patients queuing up at the Krishna Nagar clinic of ENT surgeon Dr Harsh Vardhan may have to find another consultant once he becomes the Chief Minister of Delhi. The BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate told The Pioneer, the regulations of the Government would prohibit him from private practice even though he would explore all legal possibilities to continue practicing, which, Vardhan said, was another way of serving the people. He recalled his tenure as the Health Minister of Delhi from 1993 to 1998, when he had to give up private practice, after the then law Secretary in Delhi said he could not continue private practice while holding a public office.
The BJP’s CM candidate told it was the wish of his family and the patients that he should not quit medical practice. Also, he had sought legal opinions from jurists so as to avert legal hurdles in doing so. “As desired by my family and the people, I continued practicing at my clinic on becoming the Health Minister. However, I sought legal opinion from the former Chief Justice of India, AM Ahmadi, who told him that private practice was permissible in the law after getting sanction from the Medical Council of India. Another opinion from former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court also suggested that the Health Minister could continue treating the patients and that no law can put a bar on him,” Vardhan said, adding that it was a note, from the then law Secretary in Delhi Government, which disapproved the previous suggestions and said that private practice was against the prescribed norms.
“After objections raised by the law Secretary, my party (BJP) also suggested me to stop my medical practice,” added Vardhan, who is fondly called Doctor saab not only by his patients but leaders from his party and the Opposition as well. Since 1998, after he demitted office on losing power in Delhi, Vardhan has been practicing regularly, treating patients at his small clinic located in his constituency. “I am very keen on continuing with the practice. I will explore all possible legal ways for practicing, if I become the CM, so that the patients do not suffer,” said the confident doctor.