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Medical Services in rural India suffers from shortage of doctors. To address this issue, The Union Health Ministry came up with a new solution. Now they will offer a new course called Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery [BRMS]. The course would be offer in three-and-half-year shorter than normal MBBS course and will not have any specialization. The Medical Council of India is currently working on the syllabus, and the first batch will be recruited next year.
On one hand the health care in metros and big cities is quite advanced. On the other, rural areas where 60 per cent of the Indian population resides does not even have basic health care (primary care).The MCI put forth the proposal to start this course, so that students from rural areas can be enrolled for the same, who can then serve in the district hospitals and the primary health centres in these areas. The MCI came up with this proposal in order to meet the shortage of doctors in rural areas. While some States have welcomed the proposal, the IMA pointed out that it would create a new cadre of doctors who were not as qualified as their urban counterparts.
These arguments are only efforts to monopolize the medical field. In rural areas people need to travel hundreds of kilo-meters even to get primary health care facilities. Do not the rural people which constitutes the majority of the population, have a right to get good health care facilities which can be considered as a facet of right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
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3 comments: (+add yours?)
That Rural people have a right to life as guaranteed under the Constitution is unquestionable. But after reading your blog some questions haunt me
1. How many youngsters would be willing to work in Rural India?
2. If the course offered is shorter and without any specialisation, then, it is certain that the quality of education will be on the lower side and the ones passing out from such institutions will not be as equipped as the ones studying in conventional medical schools. Doesn't this mean the rural folk are being deprived of quality medical services? Isn't there a clear violation of right to equality as guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India?
Cheers
Aswin Unnikrishnan
Dear Aswin,
This course itself is designed for rural medical services. So people who are willing to take up rural medical practice will join the course. So the question of "How many youngsters would be willing to work in Rural India?" does not arise at all.
Also about the quality of the course;There wont be any violation of Article 14...The proposal envisages training people from rural areas on the basis of merit to equip him or her to primarily, I underline, primarily to work in 145000 sub-centres, or at the most in Primary Health Centre, let it be very clear that it will be in addition to MBBS doctors. So that they can be referred to main hospitals in the course of time.
Not recognising the need for trained medical human resources in rural areas and unwillingness of the MBBS Doctors (and the Public) to consider new ideas for addressing it will not help the situation.
With Regards,
Raghul Sudheesh
raghùl, in my opinion, i believ the issue has to be looked at point from the article 14 perspective which envisages the intelligible differentia principle and arbitrariness. Going by your point it sounds to me as if the course guarantees right under article 21, which it may not.. The course may lead to creation OF a separate class as such.. Even this has to be looked into.
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