New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has made the remark that Health Ministry's plan to start a rural MBBS course of three-and-a-half years, in order to provide treatment in remote areas, would create half-trained professionals and would be biased in nature.
P.C. Sharma, NHRC Member, at a conference of State Health Secretaries said that the step would be discriminatory to both the people who get treatment from such half-baked professionals and also to the medical students, who take eight to ten years to become specialist doctors.
As per sources, as the rural areas are facing a severe shortage of doctors, the Ministry has plans to introduce the three-and-a-half years MBBS course, to replace the traditional five years course. According to the ministry, these doctors would provide treatment to millions at sub-centers that operate under the primary health care centers across India.
Further, Mr Sharma's comment came in a specific reference to the suggestion of having short-term training of persons for deployment in rural areas as doctors, in the health secretaries meet convened by the NHRC. At the meeting, several issues were discussed to improve overall health care in India, including illegal medical practice, spurious drugs and healthcare facilities in rural and tribal areas.
