A new Bachelor of Science (Community Health) course with the
objective of generating a cadre of health care providers in rural areas of the
country, is likely to be introduced from the academic year 2013-14, Health
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today.
In a written reply in
Lok Sabha, Azad said the task force constituted in this regard has made certain
recommendations on cost estimates for infrastructure, human resources,
equipments and other facilities required in rural health schools to the
government for consideration.
Azad said the
admissions as well as deployment of these graduates would be district-based in
the respective states which are willing to introduce the course.
The course was
earlier proposed as Bachelor of Rural Health Care (BRHC) but it has been
changed in consultation with the Medical Council of India.
The course duration
is proposed to be of three years with six months of rotational internship.
Candidates eligible
for the course will be those who have completed 10+2 exams with Physics,
Chemistry and Biology as their subjects.
"The proposed course
is likely to be introduced in the states willing to adopt it from academic
2013-14," Azad said in his reply.
A few medical bodies
like the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have not welcomed the proposal, but
the government said it is committed to introduce the course, with inbuilt
safeguards.
At present, India is
short of 8.5 lakh doctors and the patient doctor ratio is a poor 1:1000.
0 Comments