Tamil Nadu - Tirunelveli   

“Rural service will hit medicos’ higher education plans”

Don’t table the bill: Students and house surgeons of Tirunelveli Medical College taking out a rally in Palayamkottai on Thursday.

TIRUNELVELI: More than 400 students of Tirunelveli Medical College and house-surgeons took out a massive rally here on Thursday in protest against the Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss’s announcement to introduce the Bill making rural medical service for medical students mandatory during the current winter session of the Parliament.

The medicos and the house-surgeons, led by the chairman of the students’ union, Ilaiyaraja, took out a protest rally from VOC Grounds, Palayamkottai to their college at High Ground via Palayamkottai bus-stand and North High Ground Road. Holding placards, protesting the Union Health Ministry’s move, the protestors raised slogans against the decision of Dr. Anbumani.

They said the Union Health Ministry’s proposal, while increasing the duration of the MBBS course from the existing five-and-a-half year to six-and-a-half year, would only deny permanent employment to the doctors in rural areas since medicos would be posted there on temporary basis on a consolidated pay. Moreover, it would also badly affect the medical students’ plans to go for higher studies.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Ilaiyaraja said that the Union Health Ministry constituted the Sambasiva Rao Committee to look into the Government’s decision on making rural medical service mandatory for medical students. Even before the Committee could meet the representatives of those who were likely to be affected by this proposal and submit its report, Dr. Anbumani had announced that his ministry would introduce the Bill in the Parliament during the ongoing winter session.

“The Minister’s announcement has defeated the very purpose of the formation of the committee and hence we’ve come to the conclusion that the constitution of Sambasiva Rao Committee is a mere eyewash,” Mr. Ilaiyaraja said adding that the medicos would intensify the struggle from Monday onwards.

Following the protest, the students of TVMC did not attend the classes on Thursday.

Students and house surgeons of Tuticorin Medical College and Hospital formed a human chain in the town on Thursday, to press their charter of demands.

The house surgeons abstained themselves from duties in the hospital.

They urged the authorities concerned to drop the proposed move to increase the duration of MBBS course from five-and-a-half years to six-and-a-half years by incorporating the ‘rural medical service’ module into the curriculum.

The rural medical service “forces” students to work in a Primary Health Centre, a taluk level hospital and a non-taluk level hospital over a period of one year after the completion of Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI), before the degree could be awarded to them.

According to agitators, the Union Ministry of Health should not impose rural service till the Sambasiva Rao committee submitted its report.

Students should be given adequate representation in the committee, which planned to tour various cities to get feed backs.

Students and house surgeons said that the proposal to extend the duration of course would reduce the number of attempts they could make in the competitive examinations as the upper age limit for such examinations were not going to be raised accordingly.

A. Murugan, secretary of CRRI, led the agitation.

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