By IANS
Ahmedabad : The Gujarat government’s directive to lawyers and doctors to fix uniform professional fees and notify it for the benefit of consumers has the city’s lawyers up in arms. The lawyers plan to stage a sit-in and observe a relay fast here Tuesday to protest the order.
The government had made its decision known through a circular issued last week to the associations of lawyers and doctors.
Ahmedabad Bar Association President B. Trivedi said the state bar council representatives are holding discussions with the state government.
“We have, however, decided to continue with our protests over the government’s move as what they want us to do is not practical,” Trivedi told IANS.
Meanwhile, senior member of the Gujarat State Bar Council Anil Kella Monday met state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Narottam Patel to convey the lawyers’ dissatisfaction over the government order.
Kella told IANS that the government’s response to the lawyers’ demand was very “positive” and the circular may be withdrawn.
Doctors of the city, who are also strongly critical of the circular, are ready to hold discussions with the government and have sought time for a meeting.
The president of the 6,500-member Ahmedabad Doctors Association, M.C. Patel, said the office-bearers of the association met Monday and took note of the government directive.
“We protest strongly against the directive and condemn it,” he said.
He said, “The least the government could have done is to have taken us into confidence. The way it is worded, the directive is incapable of being implemented.”
Patel said a doctor renders a lot of services to patients and “it is impossible to arrive at a fixed price for each of the services offered.”
There would not be “enough wall space in the clinics” for putting up notice boards in Gujarati, Hindi and English languages. Patel said beyond basic consultation fees and room rates, it was not possible to arrive at uniform rates.
In case of surgeries, patients are told in advance about costs involved, he said.
The AMA president said a general body meeting has been convened Feb 6 to discuss the issue threadbare and take a position on it. The association will be filing a detailed response to the government circular.
“Meanwhile, we hope the government will invite us for discussions,” he added.