If you have been recently reading the papers over the past one week, you would have certainly read about the striking medicos. As you must be knowing, the Health Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss has made rural health service compulsory which extends for all under graduates. We are vehemently opposing this because the Minister is not guaranteeing permanent jobs to us. This system seems to be a well worked out plan to reduce the Central Government' s expenditure on Primary Health Care. The doctors will be working in any village for a maximum of four months. This duration is hardly sufficient for any person to get a feel of the place in which he will have to work and the remaining eight months the doctors are going got work in district and taluk hospitals only. Is that called rural Service ??? The stipend that is given has been reduced from Rs.18000 to Rs.8000. We, the medicos are ready to take up jobs in rural areas if we are guaranteed permanent jobs. He made a promise of permanent jobs recently on a TV show called"Neeya Nana" aired on Vijay TV. But we have not heard from him after that. And the main point in this issue is that we are being sent to the rural areas as trainees and not as whole doctors. They are making it a part of our study. So this in turn will affect the people only. How will the people come and get treated by a trainee ?? First of all a Full Doctor can only treat the people. If at all a person comes for treatment how will he/she trust the trainee ???
Another major reason, why we have been protesting is because this scheme will increase the duration of the MBBS course from 5 ½ years to 6 ½ years. This will place a huge financial burden on students hailing from lower middle class backgrounds. Most of them avail loans and scholarships for their education. This can wreak havoc in their plans of repaying their loans. In the case of women, the increase in the duration of the course will force many parents to marry off their daughters at an early age depriving them the opportunity to study further or gain work experience. Many fear that MBBS will not be a favoured course for women in the future if things go the way the Minister wants them to. If this bill is passed then most of the students will surely hesitate before joining the course, because in the year 2007 itself around 150 odd students switched to engineering after getting medicine.
Many countries have been asking India to spend more on its Primary Health Care (PHC). If this scheme is introduced it will be like a slap on the face for all those countries which have been investing in India's PHC schemes. India is a country that allocates maximum money for Defence and related purposes, every year. It is also said that a substantial portion of this money is not spent at all. But not many seem to be complaining about the neglect of PHC in every budget. We the medicos hope that this protest will raise awareness about continuing neglect of health care systems by successive governments at the Centre. As per WHO, the GDP should be 5% and the government is just spending about 0.9% for health care.
This protest has now started to spread in other institutions in other states. Students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)have also started striking now. They have another reason to strike.AIIMS chairman, Venugopal has been at loggerheads with the Health Minister for quite a while. The Health Minister will be tabling another bill in Parliament, which will force any person, who is holding the post of AIIMS chairman to retire when he reaches the age of 65. This is a deliberate attempt to show Mr. Venugopal, the door(he is either 65 now or going to complete 65 shortly). Many other private medical colleges from Karnataka and other colleges from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala have started their protests from the 27th of this month, many of which are indefinite strikes.
The PG students have also started their strike against the extension of the course for 3 years. So taking into account both the extensions.... The MBBS course with an MS or an MD takes about 13 years which is just for the study.... coz after that the Doctor has to establish oneself......... So by the time the person settles it will become 40 years.
I would like to conclude saying that this strike of the Medicos is not at all politically instigated. We are fighting for every body's good and welfare.
To, read more about the protest my the medicos, visit:---------
www.medicalprotest.blogspot.com
Support Us Medicos....
signing off...
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2 comments:
Nandini has explained our issue very clearly.... this is the reason for our struggle.every1 must know tat our strike has no political influence.we are fighting not only for ourselves but also for the people and we are not gonna give up till we get a permanent solution.we request the public to look at this issue from our point of view also, and understand the problems that we medicos will face if this bill is passed.... so SUPPORT us medicos!!!
support us .support urself.stand for ur future.our protesthas no political influence.we r fighting for uor own people.we request the public to look into the matter from our point of view too.and understand the prob. so SOPPORT MEDICOS. OTHERWISE THE CREAM OF SOCIETY WILL BECOME GUTTER OF SOCIETY.
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