Patna, Aug. 15: The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) launched a year-long training programme for uncertified rural medical practitioners on Independence Day.

The training programme was inaugurated at all the 534 primary health centres and 149 first referral units across all 38 districts today.

In Patna district, the training programme was inaugurated at the Phulwarisharif-based primary health centre and the Danapur-based sub-divisional hospital.

Training of such quacks, numbering around four lakh in the state as per health department records, is one of the ambitious programmes of chief minister Nitish Kumar. He had announced the scheme three years ago during a programme - Swathya Samagam - organised by the JDU's medical cell.

The state government had got the training course designed by NIOS and had also assigned it to conduct the programme.

Two years ago, NIOS had inaugurated the training programme by the then Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani but it couldn't be implemented due to controversies. Today, the one-year training programme was started afresh. After the year-long training, the quacks are also supposed to appear for exams and they will be provided certificates on the basis of their results.

"The idea behind the training is that they treat patients in rural areas with no informal no formal medical education due to which they put lives of lakhs at risk. The quacks treat patients in villages through various modes of treatment available in allopathic, homoeopathic and ayurvedic methods. It was conceptualised that if quacks are provided proper training they can give provide proper health care. Deaths due to wrong treatment by quacks can be reduced. Besides, initial treatment can be provided to the rural population who have no medical facilities in their areas. There are many villages in far-flung areas where access to medical facilities is not good. Quacks can easily reach out to that kind of population," said an NIOS official.

The regional director of NIOS, Chunnu Prasad, said all the study materials of the course will be available on the NIOS website www.nios.ac.in. "We will send the study materials to the rural medical practitioners at their addresses but it will take time to send it to those living in flood-affected areas. NIOS is also creating a mobile app for them with the help of which they would be able to browse through their study material on their mobile phones," said Prasad.

Prasad said NIOS will provide self-learning material, audio-video programmes, apart from the hands-on skill training to learners. All Class X passouts working as community health worker for three to five years have been enrolled for the programme. The health workers will get on-the-job training without leaving their jobs. Fees for the entire training will be Rs 5,000. At the end of the training, candidates will have to appear for the examination - theory and practical - and on successful completion they will be certified by NIOS as per norms.