Chandigarh, June 4 -- The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has sought a report from the state government with regards to burdening specialist doctors with administrative duties. The HHRC in a May 27 order has asked the state government to separate administrative responsibilities from clinical roles for specialist doctors and bring policy reforms for entrusting administrative duties to trained administrators. The Commission comprising chairperson justice (retd) Lalit Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia said the increasing burden of administrative duties on specialist doctors is a violation of their fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. "Overburdening medical specialists with bureaucratic tasks hampered their professional efficiency, impacted patient care, and violated their service rights. Ensuring that specialists focus solely on clinical duties is essential to upholding both public health standards and human rights,'' the HHRC said. The Commission in its order said that the World Health Organization and other international bodies have emphasized the importance of recognizing the rights of healthcare professionals, including the right to work in a supportive environment that allowed them to concentrate on patient care. "The International Labour Organization also recognized the right of healthcare workers to conditions of employment that do not undermine their professional capacities. "Internationally, there is a growing recognition that healthcare professionals have the right to work in environments where their skills are used to their fullest potential. This included not being burdened by non-medical tasks such as administration which can undermine the quality of care provided and the well-being of the doctor,'' the Commission said.The Commission observed that it is imperative to recognize the distinct roles of medical professionals in clinical versus administrative domains. Specialists must be allowed to concentrate on their core clinical responsibilities such as patient care, treatment and research where their expertise is vital. "Administrative duties should be assigned to officers trained for those specific tasks. The role of the medical superintendent or other administrative positions should be distinct from clinical duties, which should remain the domain of doctors and specialists,'' the Commission said. The HHRC said it strongly supported structural reforms in the public health system that clearly delineated clinical duties from administrative responsibilities. Ensuring that healthcare professionals are not diverted from their primary role of patient care by bureaucratic tasks is essential for delivering high-quality, efficient medical services. This separation not only optimizes the use of medical expertise but also upholds the human right to health-specifically, the right to timely, specialized, and appropriate treatment. It is therefore recommended that the state government should implement explicit policy measures to institutionalize the separation of clinical and administrative functions within the health sector. Such reforms are vital for strengthening healthcare governance, improving service delivery, and ensuring that medical professionals can focus on their core clinical functions, the Commission said. The Commission asked additional chief secretary, Health and director general, health services, to submit detailed reports within eight weeks....