Agitating Medicos in India – What future?

In Indian government medical colleges, the medical education is highly subsidized. A private medical college charges about 4 lakh rupees per year for the graduate course (MBBS), while the government college fees can be as low as 210 rupees in AIIMS, Delhi. In view of the acute shortage of doctors in rural health centers, and the poor quality of medical care, the Health Ministry is considering additional one-year rural stint before they are allowed to practice medicine.

The medical students are agitated by this new development. A one-year extension of the MBBS course as per the government recommendation will make the medical education as the longest professional course in the country. As per the student’s point of view, the infrastructural support in the rural areas for practicing medicine is very poor. Practically, as per the conditions of the internship, there is nothing much to gain either by the interns or by the rural folks. As compared to other professionals like engineers and MBAs, the earning of the doctor until they are settled (by 40-45 years of age) is meagre, about 200-300% less). To make up this loss, later the medicos start earning money by unethical means of cuts and commissions.

It is evident that families, in which one generation after another donned the white coat willingly, are slowing dwindling. Children with doctor parents are not now willing to join medical profession. They prefer software engineering where just after four years in the college, they are selected in the campus itself getting two to three times higher salary than a medical graduate who will be looking for job after six and half years now! The trend will further deteriorate the health care status in India. Unless somebody is committed to the “holistic” social cause, it will be difficult to motivate students to join medicine.