A STRONG DOSE
* A doctor at Manipal Hospital, Dona Paula is of the opinion that the government should not decide where a doctor should practice
* How can the government restrict doctors or for that matter anybody from staying or going out of India, he asks
-------
NO TO RURAL AREAS
* According to another doctor the doctor-people ratio is low especially in specialised services
* 80 percent of those in need of specialised treatment don\'t get it because doctors are not willing to work in rural areas, he says
POOR INFRASTRUCTURE
* It’s an artificial shortage as doctors don’t want to go to villages, says Dr Salkar
* There is no good educational facility for their children as well as other recreational facility and no incentives for earnings, he says
----------------------------
PANAJI:
An oncologist at Manipal Hospital, Dona Paula is of the opinion that the government should not decide where a doctor should practice.
“How can the government restrict doctors or for that matter anybody from staying or going out of India if he has a job outside? What rules allow for this,” asks Dr Shekar Salkar.
According to the Centre, the current state of affairs in the country is that there is only one doctor for every 1,700 people and it sees this as a move to deal with the severe shortage of doctors.
The Union government in an affidavit submitted to the Aurangabad bench of the High Court opposed a plea filed by the Central Maharashtra Resident Doctors Association. It said, “The government cannot be expected to facilitate the wish of doctors from India to permanently settle abroad, by certifying that their services are not required by the country, when the country is grappling with a severe shortage of doctors.”
Dr Prasad Netravalkar, a practicing medical representative and ex-president of the Indian Medical Association, however, has a different view. According to him, the ratio is low especially in the field of specialised services.
“It is a fact that the allopathic doctor to people ratio is low in terms of specialised services. This problem can be noticed more so in the rural areas than in urban areas. 80 percent of those deserving specialised services treatment are devoid of them because doctors are not willing to work in rural areas,” he said.
The question also, however, lies in the infrastructure available for doctors who work in rural areas. “It’s an artificial shortage as doctors don’t want to go to villages as there is no good educational facility for their children as well as other recreational facility and no incentives for earnings. They must provide them facility infrastructure and incentives if they work in villages,” said Dr Salkar.
