Already lagging behind many states
on human development index, medical graduates' refusal to serve in rural areas
despite signing bond only drags the state. The state's largest medical college,
BJ, which was expected to show the way has proved to be a big defaulter on this
front: three out of four students refused to serve the mandatory stint in rural
hospitals last year.
The trend has been dismal with
almost 900 students washing their hands off from the duty to serve the needy
patients in rural areas since 2010.
Response to an RTI application
revealed that only 61 of the 250 MBBS students took up the responsi bility to
serve the mandatory stint in rural hospitals in 2013. In 2012, 175 students
refused to take up the compulsory service.
MANY GO SCOT-FREE
Medical students in government-run
public-funded medical colleges sign a bond for Rs 5 lakh at the time of
admission. When they refuse to serve in rural areas, they are supposed to pay
the amount to their respective colleges.
However, only 17 per cent paid the
amount as compensation for opting out of the bond in 2013.
If calculated, more than Rs 9
crore should have been collected as compensation from 189 students.
However as the response to RTI
application clearly revealed, only Rs 1.63 crore was collected from 33 students
who refused to serve the bond.
CAREER OVER NEEDY PATIENTS
Many students after completing
graduation prefer going abroad for higher studies so they don't mind paying Rs
5 lakh as compensation. In 2011, speaking in the state assembly, the then
health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said that the government recovered Rs 11.49
crore from doctors for breaching the bond to go abroad for studies.
NO INFRASTRUCTURE
Many medical experts highlight the
need to update the infrastructure at rural hospitals to encourage young
graduates to opt for rural sojourn.
“Before sending any junior doctor
to a remote rural hospital, the government should provide proper infrastructure
and medical support system.The doctors don't shy away from rural areas. Their
problems need to be addressed properly,“ said Dr Rajnish Patel, professor of
general surgery at BJ Medical College and president of Gujarat Medical Teachers
Association (GMTA).
“Besides, most of the MBBS
students aspire for master's programme. After completing MBBS they have to
prepare for entrance test for MS and MD and this tops their priority,“ Dr Patel
added.
NEED FOR MORE MOTIVATION
In a study published in Human
Resource Health, Bhaskar Purohit highlighting the same issue stated, “Despite
many efforts from the government to address the shortage of medical officers
(MOs) in rural areas, rural health centres continue to suffer from severe
shortage of medical officers. Lack of motivation to join and continue service
in rural areas is a major reason for such shortage.“
Talking to Mirror, Dr Nitin S
Vora, Gujarat Medical Council (GMC) president, said that the junior doctors
needed to be made more aware of the needs of the patients in rural
areas.“Doctors need to feel more responsible and sensitive,“ he said.
“Health department has identified
several hospitals which require doctors and the colleges are supposed to send
their students accordingly. In fact, junior doctors are also paid an incentive
amount for serv ing in rural hospitals,“ he said.
NEED FOR MORE STRINGENT RULES
Anil Mukim, principal secretary in
the health and family welfare department, denied the allegation that the rural
health centres lacked physical infrastructure and said that junior doctors were
provided with staff quarters with adequate infrastructure. Insisting that all
facilities are extended to them, Mukim also laid emphasis on the need for
stringent rules to make it compulsory for doctors to serve the bond after their
course. “We are looking into the matter and planning to make more stringent
rules so that doctors can't avoid rural stint,“ he added.
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