RURAL MEDICAL DEGREE TO TACKLE RURAL DOCTORS' SHORTAGE

NEW DELHI, Feb 6 (Bernama) -- Faced with the dilemma of doctors reluctant to
serve in far-flung villages, the Indian government plans to introduce the
Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS) to create a pool of rural doctors.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare decided to introduce the
innovative community-based medical course to strengthen public healthcare in the
interiors, where over 60 per cent of the Indian population lives.

"Due to widespread vacancies in community health centres and primary health
centres, coupled with the burden of emerging diseases, the rural population is
being forced to go to cities and even to tertiary hospitals for conditions which
can be stabilised at the local level.

"This results in huge expenditure and consequent impoverishment of rural
masses. Due to physical, social and cultural distance from medical facilities
people tend to depend on unqualified quacks who often provide irrational
treatment," said Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Through the condensed medical course, the government plans to narrow the
widening doctor-patient ratio -- rural India has 200 doctors for every 100,000
people while the ratio is one-sixth in the interiors.



The ministry hopes to produce at least 145,000 doctors through the
three-and-half-years BRMS course, and assured that the quality of rural
healthcare would not be compromised.

"We are not replacing MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) or
specialist doctors. The proposal envisages training persons from rural areas on
the basis of merit to equip him or her primarily to work in primary health
centres.

"It is not to shirk away from our responsibility of having trained doctors
but idealism needs to be tempered with reality. The existing situation
prevailing in rural areas is compelling us to look beyond current solutions,"
added Azad.

-- BERNAMA



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