I was taking a long break for nearly ten days from writing a blog. I think it was not because I had become procrastinator but because I didn't know what to write about- Sri Lanakan elections, Padma Awards, Ruchika's case etc..etc. But suddenly the announcement came from Union health minister Sri Gulam Nabi Asad that the govt has a proposal to introduce a new course named as Bachelor of Rural Medicine & Surgery shortly which is a 3 1/2 years duration that will teach basic medical and surgical procedures suitable to villages. I found potent blog material in this announcement that it will kindle a lot of criticism among the doctors community and general public. These so called Doctors?! can't treat the patients in the towns and cities. Those will be treated by the regular ones with a proper 5 1/2 years training.
The pitfalls in this system are:-
1.As doctors we are aware that even that stipulated 5 1/2 years is not enough to sail the sea of medicine. How could one with a 3 1/2 years will master the basics and so called rural clinical knowledge and be ready to face the patients?
2.When the Union health minister had told this policy decision didn't he realise that the people in villages also belong to Homosapiens and not a different species?
3.If he considers them as fellow humans is it not inhumane to subject them for treatment by half baked doctors? National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) had strongly stressed this point recently.
4.Shall we consider that it is failure of our medical system that it can't persuade fully qualified doctors to work in rural areas?
5.On the contrary shall we consider that it is failure of fully qualified doctors to accept the decision made by Ex union health minister Dr.Anbumani to make rural service compulsory to newly recruited doctors? That Union govt has denied chances for those with 5 1/2 years degree to work and earn in the rural areas.
6.What are higher studies options of these rural doctors? Is it possible to switch to Urban?! medicine in the future?
7. The Union Health Minister had boasted that the system of rural doctors is a great success in the states of Jarkhand, Uttranchal. He had forgotten one thing that there are no doctors at all in those states which are newly created recently. Hence it was a run away it in those states. India is a diverse nation with each state posing different problems that same result cannot be expected in all states.
8. Also already in most of the rural areas in South India especially in Tamilnadu doctors are doing great service to the people. I don't know how many of you know that there is an "Association Of Rural Surgeons of India" for years together in our country which itself shows that there are like minded doctors who are dedicating their life to people in villages.
9. Again there are lot of doctors who had enrolled their names in Executive and Professional Employment Exchange and waiting for the governments call. They can very well be called for posts in rural areas. This point was endorsed by Director of Public Health of Tamilnadu in a weekly. He had also said that the system of rural doctors is not suitable for Tamilnadu.
10.A great joke is that the rural doctors will treat common ailments and refer the complicated ones to cities. That is what happening now at PHCs. PHC has to give primary health care and health education and do a timely referral if the case warrants. No doctor can treat decompensated liver failure at a PHC.
Of reading the above story one can judge that creating rural doctors will create confusion in our society.We don't know whether people will know the qualification of the doctor treating them. Where will I go? My own doctor or the one at town?, will be his question.It will create confusion among the rural doctors. Who am I? A doctor? A nurse?, will be his question.It will create confusion among the government. How much we have to pay?, will be its question. How long will it go we don't know.
We hope that before implementing this system govt will analyse the pros and cons and act judiciously. As for as I am concerned there are lot of cons than pros. What is your view?
The pitfalls in this system are:-
1.As doctors we are aware that even that stipulated 5 1/2 years is not enough to sail the sea of medicine. How could one with a 3 1/2 years will master the basics and so called rural clinical knowledge and be ready to face the patients?
2.When the Union health minister had told this policy decision didn't he realise that the people in villages also belong to Homosapiens and not a different species?
3.If he considers them as fellow humans is it not inhumane to subject them for treatment by half baked doctors? National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) had strongly stressed this point recently.
4.Shall we consider that it is failure of our medical system that it can't persuade fully qualified doctors to work in rural areas?
5.On the contrary shall we consider that it is failure of fully qualified doctors to accept the decision made by Ex union health minister Dr.Anbumani to make rural service compulsory to newly recruited doctors? That Union govt has denied chances for those with 5 1/2 years degree to work and earn in the rural areas.
6.What are higher studies options of these rural doctors? Is it possible to switch to Urban?! medicine in the future?
7. The Union Health Minister had boasted that the system of rural doctors is a great success in the states of Jarkhand, Uttranchal. He had forgotten one thing that there are no doctors at all in those states which are newly created recently. Hence it was a run away it in those states. India is a diverse nation with each state posing different problems that same result cannot be expected in all states.
8. Also already in most of the rural areas in South India especially in Tamilnadu doctors are doing great service to the people. I don't know how many of you know that there is an "Association Of Rural Surgeons of India" for years together in our country which itself shows that there are like minded doctors who are dedicating their life to people in villages.
9. Again there are lot of doctors who had enrolled their names in Executive and Professional Employment Exchange and waiting for the governments call. They can very well be called for posts in rural areas. This point was endorsed by Director of Public Health of Tamilnadu in a weekly. He had also said that the system of rural doctors is not suitable for Tamilnadu.
10.A great joke is that the rural doctors will treat common ailments and refer the complicated ones to cities. That is what happening now at PHCs. PHC has to give primary health care and health education and do a timely referral if the case warrants. No doctor can treat decompensated liver failure at a PHC.
Of reading the above story one can judge that creating rural doctors will create confusion in our society.We don't know whether people will know the qualification of the doctor treating them. Where will I go? My own doctor or the one at town?, will be his question.It will create confusion among the rural doctors. Who am I? A doctor? A nurse?, will be his question.It will create confusion among the government. How much we have to pay?, will be its question. How long will it go we don't know.
We hope that before implementing this system govt will analyse the pros and cons and act judiciously. As for as I am concerned there are lot of cons than pros. What is your view?
