Rural service for doctors set to be a reality soon

Bengaluru: The Medical Council of India (MCI) and ministry of health and family welfare want to make one year of rural service compulsory for all MBBS graduates if they want to be eligible to pursue higher studies.

The rule, if it gets approval, will be applicable to all students irrespective of the category under which they have joined the course/college. Presently, the rural service condition is applicable only to those studying in government medical colleges and government quota seats in private colleges.

The proposal was first mooted by the ministry of health and family welfare in April 2013. Now the MCI has forwarded the proposal with its consent. The main thrust of the proposal is that before the post-graduate course, all MBBS graduates in the country must undergo a mandatory posting in a rural area for one year. An officer from the ministry said the proposal is at a very early stage.

He justified it on the grounds that "it is the only solution available to provide better health care facilities to the rural people who are deprived of all the facilities. If the proposal is not changed at a later stage, this mandatory rural service will also be applicable to NRI students and those who study under the management quota."

Such a step, however, is a double-edged sword. The official admitted that meritorious students are avoiding medicine and going in more for engineering. "If we increase the duration of the course in the name of one year compulsory rural service, the course may lose its sheen. The challenge is in balancing the course duration, PG admission process and health care facilities for rural people," he added.