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“Rural health scheme becoming a mockery”

NEW DELHI: Stating that the government was making a “mockery” of the rural health scheme, Communist Party of India member D. Raja on Monday said the new recruitment policy pertaining to deployment in rural areas was confusing and the Centre should clarify the entire issue.

Raising the matter in the Rajya Sabha during zero hour, Mr. Raja said the government had increased the period of the MBBS course under the compulsory service for rural areas scheme.

Under this, MBBS students had to put in one year tenure in rural areas. However, this system lacked clarity.

Mr. Raja said that under the new scheme, students were being deployed in dispensaries and hospitals in rural areas making a mockery of the entire scheme. “This is not an ideal situation and even Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has written to Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss seeking a review of the extension of the MBBS course and deployment policy for rural areas,” the CPI member said.

In his letter, Mr. Karunanidhi had pointed out that medical students in Tamil Nadu had been agitating for the past one week against the proposed scheme.

“You are aware that the situation in Tamil Nadu is different from the other parts of the country. Doctors are available for service even in remote areas. The students are not against compulsory rural service but they are against the concept of extension of their course by one more year.”

He said the agitating students met him on November 23 and he had assured them that their sentiments would be brought to the Health Minister’s notice following which they called off the agitation.

“May I request you to kindly modify the scheme in such a way that the objectives of rural service are met without extending the tenure of the MBBS course by one more year, keeping the sentiments of the students in mind,” the letter said.

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