'India needs 8 lakh more doctors'

Agencies

New Delhi: India needs 8 lakh more "modern medicine" doctors and 15 lakh additional nurses to keep pace with growing demands in the health sector, Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss said.

Replying to questions on compulsory rural postings of doctors, Ramadoss said the country was facing a shortfall of medics and required 8 lakh more "modern medicine" doctors besides the 7 lakh already available.

Similarly, besides the 10 lakh nurses, 15 lakh more nurses were required, Ramadoss said.

He said in an effort to ensure availability of doctors in rural areas, the Centre has decided to make one-year combined rural posting of doctors a mandatory condition for those seeking post-graduation from the next academic session.

"There were a lot of protests from MPs and others when the government had suggested that MBBS degree will be provided only after medical students completed one-year compulsory rural postings. Now we have decided that from next year onwards, those seeking a PG degree will have to complete one-year rural posting," said Ramadoss.

He said the decision was endorsed by the states in the meeting of the Central Council for Health and Family Welfare last month.

During the rural posting, doctors will be posted to primary health centres, community health centres (at taluka level) and district headquarters for four months each and get a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 per month.

Ramadoss said the Centre was ready to partly fund the creation of infrastructure, including accommodation facilities for doctors who are deployed in rural areas.

Yerran Naidu (TDP) said as most of the MBBS doctors go abroad, very few of them will be available for rural postings.

The Minister said 12,000 of the health facilities in the country have been made available "24x7" and as per international experts, the health sector in the country has seen a remarkable improvement.