The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Studying MBBS losing appeal: MCI Chairman

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Studying MBBS losing appeal: MCI Chairman

Ramesh Susarla

Higher investment, less governmental control needed, he says

The powers of MCI have been watered down, he says
Globalisation has hit the middle class hard

MANGALAGIRI (GUNTUR DT.): Enormous Governmental control over medical education with minimal financial support has hit the middle class of the nation very hard both in access to quality medicare and medical education, Medical Council of India Chairman Ketan D Desai said.

Diminishing number of meritorious students taking to medical education was a dangerous trend, which largely emanates from the rising cost of education in private colleges and number of Government-funded seats shrinking or remaining stagnant, Dr. Desai told The Hindu during an interview.

The powers of MCI have been watered down with the regulatory body forced to take Government permission for every small issue, he pointed out. When asked if the number of post-graduate seats in the medical education in the country were sufficient, he said that in India while 22,000 medical graduates were produced, only 11,000 PG seats were available and another 4,000 in DME.

About 1,000 students were pursuing PG courses abroad forcing yet another 7,000 graduates to practice either in private clinics as general physicians or lowly paid Government doctors.

"In contrast to this, in the US there were 18,000 MBBS graduates coming out and 24,500 PG seats available and the remaining being filled by meritorious foreign students," Dr. Desai said.

High cost

Making a strong case for greater Governmental investment in the medical/health care and medical education, he said that globalisation had hit the middle class hard as they were unable to afford corporate medicare/education and a grave health condition left many families financially shattered, he observed.

“Let the medical experts plan and control the medical education independently and let the Government not term investment in Health Sector and Education as `subsidies’," the MCI Chairman said.

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