Prioritising Healthcare in Rural India

Very soon the country may get over a hundred new medical colleges which will go very far in reducing the country’s current doctor, patient ratio. According to reports, the National Medical Council (NMC) has already received 112 applications seeking permission to establish new medical colleges, while 58 existing medical colleges have sought clearance to increase the number of seats. If these proposals materialise, India will get an additional 15 to 20 thousand MBBS seats that will help the country provide quality healthcare especially to those in rural India, who are suffering hugely in the absence of qualified medical practitioners. At present there are one lakh six thousand MBBS seats in the country. Out of these seats, 55 thousand seats are in government colleges, while 51 thousand seats are in private colleges. Moreover, applications have also been received to increase the number of post-graduate seats in the country and altogether NMC has received 418 applications. If granted, the number of post-graduate seats for medicine will be increased from 68 thousand to nearly 70 thousand. From the number of applications that NMC has received thus far, it appears that medical education is fast becoming as popular as management and engineering studies.

The country’s thrust for inclusive growth will remain unfulfilled if it fails to provide quality healthcare to all its citizens. Although the situation is relatively better in big cities and urban areas, a vast section of rural population is still devoid of modern medical services due to lack of qualified practitioners and facilities . As a result, many living in rural areas often succumb even to curable diseases as they do not receive required medical attention. To make matters worse, many rural health centers exist only on paper as there are no doctors, para medical staff or modern medical equipment on site. On its part, the government have partly put the blame on doctors for their reluctance to go to rural areas to serve the people, while doctors and other related staff claim that they are virtually helpless as there are no facilities to treat the people in those areas.

It is hoped that with increased number of medical practitioners, quality healthcare can be provided to all by adopting new strategies. For instance, a certain number of seats can be reserved for students from rural areas in upcoming medical colleges. This step may reduce the shortage of qualified medical professionals as many aspire to go back to their native place provided there are adequate opportunities for the trade. Additionally, incentives should be given for setting up medical colleges in rural or semi-urban areas which will attract students from nearby areas to enroll as many cannot afford to leave home due to poor financial constraints. Thirdly, the government should provide financial assistance to students who are unable to bear the huge cost of studying medicine in private medical colleges. If such steps and more are implemented, healthcare in India will see tremendous growth.