Medical students against compulsory rural posting

Medical students across the country Tuesday said they will launch a stir against the government's decision to make one year rural posting for doctors mandatory.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), along with Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) and representatives of medical students across the country, demanded that rural posting be made part of the internship and post graduate training.

"Indian Medical Association supports rural posting. But, in the present situation making it compulsory is not feasible because there is no structured posting in rural areas. Every PG student must do six months of rural posting as part of their course/ internship," said IMA secretary-general Narendra Saini.

In a decision aimed at improving rural healthcare in India, the government has made it mandatory for all MBBS doctors to undergo one year rural posting in order to sit for post-graduation entrance examination.

The IMA along with AHPI also announced a nationwide movement 'Save the Doctor' to equalize under graduate (UG) and post graduate (PG) medical seats.

Over two to three lakh medical students are expected to support this movement across India, a release said.

"It is a sad plight that nearly two lakh young doctors in our country at the peak of their youth spend few years in coaching classes mugging multiple choice questions rather than treating patients and learning the art of healing. These young doctors under the right circumstances can significantly improve the quality of health care offered to our citizens," said APHI treasurer Devi Shetty.