Bengaluru: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday said that government doctors are strictly prohibited from providing inpatient treatment in private hospitals. He said continuous care, emergency treatment, and regular monitoring of inpatients at government hospitals are essential, and warned that government doctors engaging in inpatient treatment at private hospitals could lead to deterioration in the quality of services at public hospitals. “Strict regulations are in force in other states, including Kerala, to limit private practice,” he added. “Government doctors are strictly prohibited from providing inpatient treatment in private hospitals. They are permitted to engage in private practice only in OPDs after regular working hours, without affecting their official duties.