New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry is supporting the proposal of launching a three-year rural medical course. The proposal has been hindered due to prevalent protest. However, the Ministry believes that the rural medical course would be the most effective solution to deal with the dearth of trained medical professionals in villages.
Sujatha Rao, Health Secretary said that the country lacks trained medical professionals in rural areas and this will help in meeting the demand-supply gap. Further she added that doctors don't want to go to rural areas, so if they educate people from local areas and give them a diploma, they will be able to meet the gap in providing healthcare.
As per sources, the rural medical course will be known as Bachelor in Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS) course. The BRMS course is a three-year programme. The students pursuing the programme will be awarded with a diploma, after the successful completion of the course. The diploma will allow the students to practice in rural areas only.
Furthermore, Sujatha Rao told that since the course will take mostly local students, they will serve in their villages, thereby solving the problem of shortage of trained professionals. As per Ms. Rao, the lack of doctors strengthens the nexus of quacks. Earlier, they were only into treating people, now a nexus is developing between the doctors of nearby towns and village quacks.
In addition, Sujatha Rao said that these quacks play brokers in taking village patients to the doctors, take commission and the poor villagers are charged more. They need to change such a situation. The Health Ministry is mulling over to make it compulsory to serve in rural areas for some time for graduates who have received financed education.
However, Sujatha Rao added that the new course would serve the immediate needs of villages. In the end, the secretary told that consultations are on with all stakeholders and various state governments to take the proposal forward. However, the secretary did not give any deadline for commencement of the course.
