In a move that could go a long way in strengthening healthcare in Haryana, the State government has planned it to make one year of government service mandatory for all medical students studying in government-run medical colleges.
“I would present a bill in the upcoming monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha, which begins from August 2, mooting one year of government service for medical students studying in government-run medical colleges. For this all the necessary preparations have been completed,” Health Minister Anil Vij said on Wednesday.
The minister said that after this bill gets passed in the Vidhan Sabha, 730 new MBBS pass-out students will join state based government hospitals every year. This will strengthen the health services in the state, he added.
Meanwhile, the problem of an acute shortage of doctors in Haryana is a very real one, largely because of an unwillingness to serve especially in rural areas of the state. The state government has set up as many as 2643 sub-health centres, 513 primary health centres, 128 community health centres and 22 district hospitals in the state wherein as many as 2651 doctors have been deputed. More than 450 posts of doctors are lying vacant over the last many years.
A senior health department officer said that there are five government run medical colleges in the state, which include Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana; Kalpana Chawla Govt. Medical College,Karnal; Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha; Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College at Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat and Shaheed Hassan Khan Mewati Government Medical College, Nalhar, Mewat.
250 medical students get admission in Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak each year while 120 students each in remaining above four medical colleges.
Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha which is government aided medical college is charging Rs one lakh per annum as fees for an MBBS seat while around Rs 54, 000 per annum in remaining above government medical colleges, he added.
Sources in the department said that the average annual tuition fees for MBBS in private colleges varies from about Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh or even more, with deemed universities typically charging the most, compared to just less than Rs one lakh per annum in the government medical colleges.
A large number of doctors who study in Government medical colleges at the cost of the taxpayers money, leave the state or the country at the first given opportunity. State is facing a shortage of human resources in health, especially in rural areas, where the population remains vulnerable due to lack of medical resources and medical professionals. After this bill gets passed, the MBBS pass-outs from government medical colleges will have to serve for one year compulsorily in the community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centers (PHCs) and other government hospitals.
