Vardhan’s inclusive pill for doc crisis cure

RANCHI : The Union health ministry is contemplating providing short-term bridge courses for doctors of alternative medicines, particularly of Ayurveda, Unani, homoeopathy and other forms of traditional medical practices to address the shortage of doctors in the country.
Responding to a query on staff shortage and very few MBBS seats available in Jharkhand medical colleges, which was further brought down to 190 from 350 by the Medical Council of India (MCI), Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said efforts are on to increase the seats at undergraduate level and also rationalize the number of seats available for PG courses.The minister was interacting with mediapersons in Delhi through a video conference on Monday.
Vardhan said even as the government has asked the district hospitals across the country with more than 300 beds to include medical education facility, the requirement of doctors still remains huge.
“There is no denying the fact that population coverage by doctors in India is abysmally poor and immediate remedial measures are needed to implement national health schemes,” he said, clarifying that the laws would be amended to utilize the services of traditional therapies and their experts by according them some formal courses and regulating the practices.
Responding to another query about rural healthcare being primarily in the clutches of quacks, the minister said the matter was sensitive and required regulations to the same effect.
Vardhan spoke about introducing the National Health Assurance Mission, universal health insurance being an essential component of it. For this purpose, a meeting of health secretaries from all over the country is on cards on October 9. Following this a national health council, comprising health ministers from all states would sit together to bring about necessary legislation to guarantee some facilities in the field of healthcare.
The health minister said for each and every citizen a provision for 50 essential modern medicines, 30 AYUSH medicines and assured diagnostic facilities should be made available. “While the government would pay premium against health insurance for people living below poverty line (BPL), those who can afford the premium would have to pay a reduced sum of premium for which the government would act as a facilitator with the insurance companies,” he said.