PATNA, April 13 -- Government doctors have decided to challenge the state's move to impose a blanket ban on private practice by allopathic doctors in the public sector, officials of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bihar chapter, said on Sunday. The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the IMA and the Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), convened a day after the state health department issued a resolution expressing its intent to prohibit private practice by all government allopathic doctors. The proposed move is expected to impact over 10,000 doctors across cadres, including the Bihar Health Services, Bihar Medical Education Services and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology. Following the meeting, Dr Sahajanand Prasad Singh, chief patron of IMA Bihar, said the association has proposed an "optional NPA model" as an alternative to the blanket ban. Under this model, government doctors should be given the choice to either opt out of private practice and receive NPA at par with Central government doctors, or continue private practice under regulated conditions without availing of NPA. "We'll wait and watch the government's next move. If our suggestion is ignored and a ban is enforced, IMA, BHSA and medical college teachers' associations will be compelled to move court," Dr Singh said. He further suggested fixed duty hours, such as 9am to 4pm, along with strict action against absenteeism. The IMA warned that enforcing a blanket ban could trigger resignations, worsening the already strained manpower in public health facilities. "The ultimate sufferers will be poor patients who depend on government healthcare," Dr Singh said. He also highlighted systemic gaps, noting even basic residential facilities were unavailable for majority of government doctors, particularly in rural areas....