Government In Kerala Decided To Deploy PG Students In Rural Hospitals From March 1
Update: 2023-02-28 18:45 IST
For representational purpose
The government in Kerala has taken a significant step by deciding to place second-year post-graduate (PG) medical students in rural hospitals for training purposes. Up to 1,382 students from both public and private medical schools will begin working for three months starting on March 1 in taluk, district, and general hospitals all over the state. This is the first time that PG medical students had to perform rural service.
All PG medical students enrolled beginning with the 2021 batch were required to participate in the district residency programme (DRP) by the National Medical Commission (NMC). Despite the DRP provision becoming necessary in September 2020, pandemic regulations delayed its adoption.
The rural service is designed to provide PG students in tertiary hospitals with an opportunity to comprehend how peripheral hospitals operate and, in some cases, to address the doctor shortage there. The medicos will be stationed in 78 hospitals, including the district, general, and mental health hospitals as well as women's and children's hospitals, TB treatment facilities, and public health labs.
Health Minister Veena George said that the assistance of PG medical professionals in the specialty area will be beneficial for the operation of taluk-level hospitals. Additionally, it will allow students to receive quality training, comprehend the district-level health system, and engage in social intervention.
According to Dr. T. N. Suresh, state president of the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association, the DRP offers PG students a fantastic opportunity to get essential experience. He claimed that DRP helps to some extent alleviate the severe doctor shortage in outlying hospitals. But, because the "programme is still to get streamlined," the first group of students, who are scheduled to begin their DRP on Wednesday, are concerned about the service requirements and the training duration. They are also concerned about the lodging options at the hospital that they provide as part of DRP. According to the NMC notification, the state authorities are required to provide travel arrangements and offer lodging.
Furthermore, the Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association has already informed the DME that they will not provide medical services in locations where the government has not built accommodations.