Mumbai: One more year has added to the doctors degree, as the Government has decided to make one year combined rural posting a mandatory eligibility criteria for admission into post graduate (PG) medical courses. Moreover, the Government also promises to double the salary of doctors who want to work in villages.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Health Minister, said in the Lok Sabha that to make sure there is availability of doctors in rural areas, the Government has, in principle, decided to make one year combined rural posting in Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) under the state governments, mandatory for MBBS doctors that are eligible for admission to PG courses. The government is also planning to hire retired doctors on contract basis to meet the shortage.
However, Azad's statement came as a surprise to many, as the ministry had only recently declared that the government would provide special incentives to doctors that are willing to work in rural areas, instead of making rural postings compulsory.
The order is not well accepted among the students, according to them one year is too long a period to be spent in villages but do not have issues for a 3-6 month long period. To complete MBBS, it takes five years including one year internship, and three years to get an MD. With this new order issued, a student would now have to spend nine years to emerge as an MD.
