July 15: The government will introduce a diploma course to meet the shortage of doctors in villages.

Health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra announced the move in the Assembly today and said the bill on the three-year course in medicine and public health would be modelled on a system in Assam.

The course will be part of a six-fold strategy to improve medical services in the rural areas. The five other plans are:

Incentive scheme to attract specialists on contract in rural areas

Special training for nurses serving in rural areas

Making a year’s service in rural areas mandatory for an intern to get permanent registration

Training unqualified rural heathcare professionals to make their practice safer

Set up more primary heath centres

“The (diploma) course will help tackle the scarcity of medical practitioners in rural areas,” the minister said, adding that the move had been “recommended by the Centre”.

The curriculum, fees, salary of the diploma holders and other details will be worked out soon.

Health department officials said 324 people had undergone diploma courses in community medical service in six districts between 1982 and 1985 and worked as volunteers in villages.

“Later, they had moved court demanding further training. Then they underwent a three-and-a-half-year bachelor of medicine course at Calcutta National Medical College from 2000 and a one-year internship,” an official said.

These candidates now work as additional medical officers in rural hospitals.

The earlier diploma drive had drawn widespread criticism from doctors who said it led to a fall in medical standards. The Indian Medical Association had dubbed the endeavour “illegal” as it did not have the approval of the Medical Council of India.

Facing stiff opposition, the government had stopped recruiting personnel for the community medical course.

The bill that will now be drafted will address the earlier concerns. The health minister said: “It is too early to comment but a working group will go into all aspects before drafting the bill.”

Assam’s director of medical education, U.C. Sharma, said the state government had received queries from several states, including Bengal, on its course.

Those with the Assam diploma are known as “rural health practitioners” and are only allowed to prescribe medicines for common ailments.