An open letter to Modi ji to bring ache din to doctors and patients

   

If there would have shortage of doctors in our country then Punjab Service Commission would not have been recruiting doctors at 15000 Rs./month which is even less than regular 4^th class working in the hospitals. Stop misguiding the nation about shortage of doctors in our country and making a way for lobby of private medical colleges. UPA misguided the nation and under the influence of lobby of private medical colleges tried to ruin medical profession, that’s why we voted out them in hope that your good self will not be continuing in their policy of opening medical colleges like primary schools.

After india got freedom, to develop skilled health manpower one or two medical colleges per state were opened. The concept of limited seats in the profession was kept so that to ensure only finest mind deal with precious human life.

But a pseudo propaganda was created during UPA govt about scarcity of doctors in the country. By misleading the country huge number of private medical colleges were opened. Now you don’t need to have a fine brain to be a doctor, only your wealthy pocket will do the job.

Why policy makers are obsessed with making everyone a doctor. Why strengthening of health care just only mean increase in MBBS seats. If there is crowd in front of registration counter or report collection counter it doesn’t mean that there is shortage of doctors in hospitals. Rather than improve these basic steps while all the health ministers stuck for increasing MBBS seats.

Similar approach was applied for B.Tech, M.B.A., B.Ed. courses. Results are in front of you. It’s a matter of shame that a B.Tech holder cant pass the entrance test for a sailor.

Last year CTET (a test recently introduced to check eligibility for becoming a teacher) pass percentage was only 5%. it means that 95% of our graduates are not qualifying for even sitting in actual competitive exam to become a teacher. Bottom line is that they have ruined engineering, they have ruined management studies and now is the time to ruin medical field.

In foreign countries you need not only to pass a qualifying pre medical test but also an interview which seek social service attitude in the candidate.

Next falsie in medical education is creating trend to make every graduate (MBBS) into a post graduate. Policy makers are unaware of fact that huge population need general doctors, then somewhat less specialized doctors and a very much less super specialized doctors. But now policy makers are obsessed to reverse this hierarchy.

Some suggestions to improve medical education in india

1)      Quality is inversely propotional to quantity. Limited seats should be kept in each medical college. E.g. AIIMS DELHI  has infrastructure to create even 300 MBBS doctors per year, but there might be some intelligent thinking to keep it to 75 seats/year.

2)      There is hardly any sacracity of doctors in the country. Public service commission of most states haven’t recruited any doctors for 3-4 years.

3)      Recent recruitment advertisement of Punjab Service Commission to recruit doctors at 15000 rs/month reveal the whole propaganda of scarcity of doctors. Obviously there is shortage of doctors

4)      Subsidized medical education for only those who want to serve india after their studies. Why tax payers money should be spent on those foreign obsessed youth.

5)      Nationalization of all medical colleges as done for banks in india. It hardly need any extra money as central govt is already giving aid to states in name of National Health Missions which is either misutilised by states or been deposited in saving accounts. There are thousands of institution where grant is being never utilized and money is standing still in their accounts. (a lengthy issue to discuss on this platform)

6)      If there is a huge crowd at AIIMS or PGI  or MAMC, then there are hundreds of medical colleges distt hospitals and PHCs who have to create notional patients and hence notional OPD attendance. Nationalization not only decrease burden on existing heath institutes but will provide a good learning platform at those places where there is shortage of patients. This is a harsh truth but it is the reality.

7)      The step is same as your govt decision to connecting all the rivers so that rivers which have more water don’t cause flood and those which have less water don’t get dried.

8)      Sir you might be surprised to know where WHO says there should be a PHC for 20,000 population, same are being opened even at a population of 2 to 3ooo just for political reasons creating a wastage of country’s limited resources.

9)      Respected PM, I was listening your speech few months ago in which you were saying that like you choose mobile connection you will choose your electricity provider. Similar approach can be applied to health system. E.g. there is an operation called cholecystectomy. If someone goes to AIIMS Delhi he will get a date of 3-4 years for the operation, but similar  operation can be done at some medical college or distt hospital in himachal within one week with similar efficacy, similar prognosis and equally skilled hands. Patient has no knowledge about health care delivery system, atleast you can provide it.

10)   Let the medical colleges and medical education be in working domain of central govt. let states handle other hospitals, PHCs, CHCs with their own resources

11)   A nation wide same enterance test NEET for UG and PG courses whose only disadvantage is that it will limit corruption and backdoor entry. Its not a new concept but was adopted during2013 but was withdrawn due to pressure from lobby of private medical colleges.

12)   I know that the motto of your govt is minimum government and maximum governance. But health is that sector which need maximum govt. otherwise the situation would be more worse than prevailing where heart stent whose cost of production is less than hundred rupees is sold in lakhs

13)   There are two types of doctors in the country or to be precise two types of people in every field

a)      Who want to work and want to change the nation

b)      Who are shirk workers

For former category of doctors new centers can be created which provide extra duty hour (e.g. 9 to 5 rather than routine 9:30 to 4). You just provide them environment which is free from political interference. These can be called as centers of excellence. There is no need to pay them extra and entry to these institution should be elective. These centers should work like corporate hospitals with work culture like proposed NITI AAYOG.

14)   Doctor community is very studious community hardly complaint about wages. When every citizen of country is asking where are the ache din, I promise you whole of medical community will be thankful to you for bringing their ache din if only you started one enterance exam for entry to  medical courses (UG/PG NEET) (afterall Modi ji if there can be transparency in coal auction why it shouldn’t be in entry process to medical colleges)

For above said reasons respected prime minister sir I voted you, but even after getting my vote you keep on continuing policies of congress I will have to see for another man/party who can fulfill the dreams of an honest hardworking patriotic Indian.