Docs for rural Rajasthan only

Tue, Apr 15 12:55 AM

The Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan on Monday became the first state in the country to create a separate cadre of doctors and paramedical staff to serve exclusively in rural areas. The cadre will enable the state government to tackle the acute shortage of medical personnel in the villages.

The state government will soon start recruiting 1,300 doctors and 1,800 nurses exclusively for villages. They will not be permitted to serve in urban areas which are already overstaffed with deputations from rural hospitals.

The doctors and other medical staff will be recruited through an experts' committee to be headed by the principal health secretary. New appointees will have to sign a bond making it mandatory for them to serve in rural hospitals, primary health centres, community health centres and sub-centres throughout their career.

State Health Minister Narpat Singh Rajvi told the Hindustan Times that Rajasthan has become first state in the country to create such a cadre to give top priority to solving the problem of shortage of medical staff in the villages. Rajvi said, "Successive governments failed to provide basic health services in the rural areas because doctors and paramedical staff posted in rural areas manipulated postings to towns and cities through politicians and other channels.

" "The majority of doctors managed to get deputations at city hospitals though they kept drawing their salaries from the rural hospitals," he said. The minister said several villagers take bank loans to support their children selected for MBBS courses but face repayment problems as their kids do not get employment, especially when urban candidates outsmart them in the written tests and interviews.

"Now they will easily get the jobs and will have a clear option to go villages to serve the people because the competition will be lower," he said. According to Rajasthan's rural medical and health service rules, 2007, reservation of posts for SC, ST and OBC candidates will not differ from other government departments.

Principal health secretary R.K. Meena said, "30 per cent of the seats will be reserved for women candidates and five per cent for widows." "The doctors and other medical staff having more than two children shall not be deemed to be disqualified for promotions so long as the number of kids remains static," Meena said.

Medical experts said other states are sure to follow Rajasthan's example if the new decision is implemented properly. The new appointees will be required to serve on probation for two years, after which their service will be confirmed in the rural cadre.

Young doctors will also get a chance to pursue postgraduate courses in government medical colleges in the state. Congress leader and zila pramukh of Banswara Mohinder Singh Malviya said, "It is a good initiative to ensure posting of the doctors to rural hospitals.

But its implementation needs to be done with dedication and sincerity." BJP leader and zila pramukh of Sawai Madhopur Prahlad Mathriria said, "Villagers never got basic health services as these are confined to towns and cities.

But the new rural cadres will fulfil the aspiration of villagers." The pradhan of Kherwada panchayat in Udaipur district said, "Doctors and other medial staff indulged in political manipulation to get postings in urban areas.

With the creation of the new rural cadre, health institutions in rural areas will get doctors, nurses, other medical staff.".

RECOMMEND THIS STORY