Shafeeq Alingal By

Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: Medical profession is one of the most sought after job segments in the state. But that may change soon. Like their engineering counterparts, doctors too stare at educated unemployment. Irrational increase in MBBS seats, lack of sufficient number of PG seats, absence of research facilities and poor employment opportunities have left medicos’ career dreams in lurch.

For more than half of the MBBS students, higher study is mission impossible as the state lacks adequate seats. According to Medical Council of India (MCI) figures, there are 2,850 MBBS seats in the state while the number of PG seats stands at 1,146. Presently, no exclusive research facilities are offered to students. “Now, survival is a big question for medicos.

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A section of them is left unemployed while the doctors employed in government sector are struggling with burden of job and lack of facilities,” said medical activist Jineesh P S. As per the IMA figures, the patient- doctor ratio in the state is between 600:1 and 500:1 - equivalent to some advanced countries. But former IMA functionary A V Jayakrishnan said the state lacked adequate employment opportunities.

The state’s medical education sector has only 2,215 posts of doctors while there are 5,215 posts in public health sector, including primary and community health centres and general and district hospitals. The state’s private health sector can only provide employment opportunity for around 20,000.

“The government is obliged to increase the posts in accordance with the increase in the number of patients. This will ensure better care for patients and bring relief for doctors,” Jineesh said. Jayakrishnan said medicos without specialisation have been struggling for jobs in private sector.

“Private hospitals are being swiftly converted into multi and super speciality hospitals,” he said. Activists blamed mushrooming of medical colleges for the crisis.

“Medical colleges are being set up in the state without assessing the requirements. Some of the self-financing medical colleges fail to ensure quality education for students. These colleges should be closed down,” said Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishath state president K P Aravindan.