NEW DELHI: Faced with a severe shortage of doctors in rural areas, the health ministry has proposed 50% reservation of seats for postgraduate courses in government colleges for those who have served at least three years in public healthcare institutions in remote and difficult areas.

The proposal, part of the draft Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2016, also suggests that such candidates be required to serve for another three years in remote areas after acquiring the PG degree.

A staggering 70% of the rural population has minimal access to health care, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The severe shortage of doctors, mainly in remote areas, has often been attributed to government policies and failure to implement them. While the parliamentary standing committee on health repeatedly raised concerns about vacant positions of doctors and healthcare workers in rural areas, the government argues the shortage is because of reluctance to work in such areas.



According to a study published in medical journal The Lancet, over 8% of 25,300 primary health centres in the country were without a doctor in 2015, 38% were without a laboratory technician while 22% had no pharmacist. Nearly 50% of posts for female health assistants and 61% for male health assistants were vacant. In community health centres, the shortfall is huge -surgeons (83%), obstetricians and gynaecologists (76%), physicians (83%), and paediatricians (82%). Even in health facilities where doctors, specialists, and paramedic staff have been posted, their availability remains in question because of high absenteeism.

The previous UPA government had also tried to make one year of rural posting mandatory for admission in PG courses. However, the move was met with severe opposition from resident doctors and MBBS students, prompting the then health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to put the notification on hold.

The present government is now trying to incentivise doctors to serve in the rural areas and remote villages. It is also planning to involve AYUSH practitioners to make primary health services available in such areas. At present, there is just one doctor for around 1,700 people in India, whereas the WHO stipulates a minimum ratio of 1:1,000.