Azad reiterated the measures such as relaxation of land requirement for setting up medical colleges, concessions for North- Eastern states, relaxation in teacher-student ratio norms for increasing specialists in the country.
THE PREIDENT Pratibha Devisingh Patil has exhorted the medical community to work for the ideal of medical care for all. Speaking at the General Assembly of World Medical Association, the President said “The question of equitable medical care to all people is a big human and ethical question...... In India, we are conscious of this and through policies and programmes, efforts are underway to reach populations including those in rural areas that face the highest degree of deprivation in terms of health facilities. All governments have responsibilities to take action, but global institutions also have a crucial role. The World Health Organization and other international organizations like yours are major stakeholders in this endeavour. I would call on all of you present here today, to contribute, to further the cause of medical care for all.”
Speaking on the occasion the Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the participants about proposed alternative model for medical education primarily aimed for generation of the rural health manpower. In the proposed system “the admissions would be given to those, who qualify their examination from the schools located in rural areas with an average population of less than 10,000. Upon procuring the qualification they will be asked to serve in rural areas for prescribed period.” The minister said. Azad said due to concentration of healthcare professional in urban and semi-urban areas there is a huge gap of availability of manpower at grass-root level. The minister outlined many short term and long term measures taken in consultation with Medical Council of India “not only towards mitigating the requirements of rural health manpower, but also towards ‘capacity building’ for health professionals in the country.”
