Doctors protest against rural posting
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of doctors from AIIMS, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College in Safdarjung hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Maulana Azad Medical College and University College of Medical Sciences protested at Jantar Mantar on Thursday against the government's decision to make one year rural posting compulsory for medicos applying for post-graduate entrance exams.
"We are willing to serve in rural areas. But this term should be a part of the internship or post-graduate training program. Also, the infrastructure in primary health care centres and security for female doctors have to be upgraded," said Dr Navneet Motreja, who is leading the campaign.
He added that there are no proper labs to carry out investigations or research and the number of lab attendants or nurses is very less.
The protesters said that the huge gap in the number of undergraduate and post-graduate medical seats in the country is discouraging young students entering this profession. There are 46,300 undergraduate seats and 22,000 post-graduate seats out of which only 12,000 are in clinical subjects of interest.
"While the country suffers from acute shortage of specialists and super specialists, lack of post-graduate seats forces thousands of medical graduates to wait for years to get into specialty courses.
Private colleges charge huge capitation fee for admission in super specialty courses like radiology and orthopedics among others," said IMA secretary Dr Narender Saini.
He also said that the number of undergraduate and post-graduate medical seats should be equal.
A delegation of medicos met top health ministry officials and lodged their protest against the recent amendment in the PG medical education regulations of MCI which makes one year rural posting in a PHC mandatory for becoming eligible to take admission in a PG course.
"We heard the students and informed them that the amendment in PG medical regulation was in line with the commitment made by the the government to improve the availability of doctors in rural and remote areas of the country," a senior health ministry official said.
"We are willing to serve in rural areas. But this term should be a part of the internship or post-graduate training program. Also, the infrastructure in primary health care centres and security for female doctors have to be upgraded," said Dr Navneet Motreja, who is leading the campaign.
He added that there are no proper labs to carry out investigations or research and the number of lab attendants or nurses is very less.
The protesters said that the huge gap in the number of undergraduate and post-graduate medical seats in the country is discouraging young students entering this profession. There are 46,300 undergraduate seats and 22,000 post-graduate seats out of which only 12,000 are in clinical subjects of interest.
"While the country suffers from acute shortage of specialists and super specialists, lack of post-graduate seats forces thousands of medical graduates to wait for years to get into specialty courses.
Private colleges charge huge capitation fee for admission in super specialty courses like radiology and orthopedics among others," said IMA secretary Dr Narender Saini.
He also said that the number of undergraduate and post-graduate medical seats should be equal.
A delegation of medicos met top health ministry officials and lodged their protest against the recent amendment in the PG medical education regulations of MCI which makes one year rural posting in a PHC mandatory for becoming eligible to take admission in a PG course.
"We heard the students and informed them that the amendment in PG medical regulation was in line with the commitment made by the the government to improve the availability of doctors in rural and remote areas of the country," a senior health ministry official said.
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