Everyone seems to think that there is a shortage of doctors, but does any one realise that the Indian economy is not yet mature enough to take the financial burden? A typical outpatient procedure in the US costs a patient anywhere between USD 20-25,000. It costs about the same in Europe, only the costs are defrayed by taxpayer's money and not by the individual / insurance company concerned. Even though medical costs are abysmally low in India, I believe the figure of 1:1000 is unrealistic and unattainable at present. If engineers, accountants, scientists, designers, management personnel, all of whom are trained at a cost to the exchequer, are forever willing and ready to go abroad and are reaily allowed to do so, I fail to understand why doctors should be prevented from seeking a better life abroad as suggested by some readers below. In fact the average income of all other professionals is more than the average of all qualified MBBS doctors, in India. Why does not the government think of offering such pay and allowances to the doctors in the government sector, so that they are attracted to join government service rather than stay abroad or go into private practise? If the government is really interested in the health of the people, it should do that, rather than issue empty statements.
given below a post by Mr. Vivek. It seems a functional proposition. Let planning commission take note of such suggestion. The panel estimate of 1:1000 is not sustainable. However, we need many times more what is available at present.
RE:VIVEK'S idea worth reading
by Fried Yakov on Apr 07, 2008 10:44 PM Permalink
If you follow Mr. Vivek's ideas, you are unlikely to get any quality doctors, though you may get an enormous number of good for nothing people who would be fooling both themselves and others by calling themselves doctors. Why do these stupid rabble rousers not realise that we require quality doctors and not quantity? Doctors who spend the best 12 to 15 years of their lives slogging in training posts of hospitals surviving on a mere pittance called stipend, working inhuman and long hours, with no scheduled weekly off, all for patient care, are appointed in government jobs for mere Rs 20-25,000 (which is often lesser in state government jobs). This is little more than the amount a newly appointed Lt. makes in the Armed Forces with lot less training. Not that I grudge the pay for the Armed Forces, but I use this analogy to show how poorly the doctors are treated in India. Now if you want the medical students to pay lakhs of rupees for their education, do you think they would want to go to a far flung village without minimal infrastructure? Is it not punishing a man who dared to choose the noble profession?
...are going to be the two big challenges that India will face in the next 10 years...and if we continue with ministers like Ramdoss and Pawar to handle these two sectors, we will be digging our own graves
USA grew into a Economic Power when it first increased Govt Spending to create Jobs And Second Reason is supplying Arms for others Wars.
Our Shameless Planners are following the same Ideas to increase GDP.
The Idea behind the above News is to Grant More Medical Colleges, Increase Capex thru Construction and Infrastructure Activity, Increase Euphoria about would be demand for Medical Profession and Thus the Spending of Parents on their Childrens Coaching and as Donations for Professional Education.
This Capex which in Short Term say 10 years will stimulate Growth in the Country.
But Beware! The Value of Doctors will be DOOM immediately after they come out And There will be UnEmployed Doctors in Lakhs after 10 years from Now - IF the Above Stats are used to Increase Number of Seats or Colleges in the Country.
This is a Conspiracy of the Bankrupt Growth Hungry Construction And Hospital Equipment manufacturing Industries. You all can Imagine what are the Things from Low tech to HiTech That are Reqd for a Hospital or Medical College. And You also know the Size of Coaching Institute Economy.
The Planning Commission is just PLANNING the Next Bubble for Maintaining the GDP growth.
Considering shortage of doctors and especially doctors not going to practice at rural areas where the help is really required, I propose the following to the state governments.
Allow private management to establish medical college in every district head quarter as long as they meet the following criteria. 1. Free Mega hospital in every district with all super speciality services. All OPDs and general ward for inpatient free 2. Special ward for rich %u2013 Charge them as per the market rates 3. Every medical college of that district should run %u2018primary care plus%u2019 & minor surgeries in every taluk (A district may have 20 to 25 taluks) a. The taluk primary care should have the following basic facilities: i. OPD %u2013 7 days a week from 8:30am to 8:30pm ii. At least OPD of General Physician, Gynacology and Paediatrician iii. Labour ward iv. Operation theatre v. 30 to 50 bed in patient wards in these taluk mini hospitals vi. X-ray, CT Scan, Ultrasound, ECG, pathology lab for blood/urine tests etc vii. Thrice a week other specialists visiting these taluk medical centres including surgeons for operations viii. Ambulance facility for emergency ix. The district medical college hospital shall work as main Head Quarter for all taluk mini hospitals and linked by good IT systems and linked by Ambulance for all critical cases 4. Admission criteria for medical students: a. 75% on self finance / donation b. 25% free seats or at nominal fee reserved for candidates
RE:Privately run District Medical School to fix health care problem in India
by vivek on Apr 07, 2008 06:52 PM Permalink
c. MD/MS/PG Diploma seats all self finance (donation) except 1 seat per area of specialisation reserved for candidate from that district i. The criteria for selection for that 1 seat for PG is that the candidate should have worked in that district as a practitioner or worked for any hospital/nursing home in that district for atleast 5 years in that district. 5. Government role: a. Don%u2019t interfere on fee structure for donation seats b. Ensure free seats (25%) are allocated based on merits from candidate from that district and 1 seat per taluk c. If many managements show interest, allow everybody as long as they meet the criteria and maintain student to bed ratio for hospital and facilities and teaching staff as required by medical board 6. Benefits from this model: a. By ensuring seats from every taluk there is a strong possibility that the doctors serve their local community in their villages b. By self finance model and donation seats (75%), government doesn%u2019t have to spend money in providing this service c. The local public who are poor will be benefited by good super speciality hospital in their district which is free and primary care in every taluk other basic health care. d. Use the same medical college facilities to train nurses (nursing colleges), pharmacy and lab technician courses etc e. It generates employment to local areas and also provide health care to the local community
RE:Privately run District Medical School to fix health care problem in India
by satyarthi on Apr 07, 2008 08:21 PM Permalink
Good suggestions, looks operational.
we as a public always believe what the planning commision wants us to believe rather than see the truth. the conditions of doctors in india is dismal. infact i would recommend that anybody should not become a doc in india for next 10 years so that people realise the importance of medical professionals. atleast 60-70% of indian population cannot pay for their health care and since the public health system does not work in this country they are left with no option but to go to a private practitioner. now lets look at the other side of the story. a specialist doctor spends at least 9 years of his life studying and that also if he does his MBBS and PG in one go. after this ordeal of nine years when he comes out in the market he gets a salary of 25,000 rs and no privileges no respect (anyone can come and beat him up) not to say of the private system that exploits these docs. only private practice enters his mind because he has found out the truth that the only way he can make some money and run his family is by private practice. so that is his agenda and other docs who do not accept the reality of private practice actually think of moving out of india. so please please have a look at the system which makes the doctor so miserable and exploited by the system. just as you cannot compare the contribution of the army with other government officers similarly you cannot grade doctors along with other government officials. if you do not change and amend the system there will be h
Duration of Education for different professions: After 10 2 school D.M,Mch (superspecialist doctor) - 12 years (approx) M.D, M.S - Specialist - 9 years (approx) M.B.B.S - Family physicians- 6 yrs (apporx, 5.5 yrs exact)
Staring Salary they get: In govt. sector super specialist - Rs 20,000 (Approx) MD, MS- 15,000-20000 MBBS- 10000-15000
Availaibility of Job in govt. sector very very difficult requires political contacts and or bribe. (This holds true for all professions).
In Private sector low paying jobs may be available. But good jobs rare. So according to govt. there are 600,000 doctors needed but in reality very few jobs available for doctors :) A typical day for MBBS student - 8.00 am-4-00 pm lectures and hospital training, 6.00 pm-8.00 pm hospital training again. Besides this. For MD/MS, DM/McH students - typical 12-24 hours duty every day. Then there is the tremendous responsibility of human health and life that a doctor takes care. But govt. and society are treating doctors shabbily. At least 20-30 years ago doctors were respected in society, but now they are often harrassed. All doctors work in rural health clinics during compulsory internship but conditions there are pathetic. Compare it with any other profession, it is the toughest and the most demanding profession but what doctors in India get in return is a pittance
RE:Job for Docotrs in India
by raman mehtta on Apr 07, 2008 05:45 PM Permalink
Mr. Atul very well put. nobody could have done it better.i hope these idiots realise what tough lives we docs lead and expect only some decent money and working conditions in return
It is a very disturbing news. We produce Doctors from the Tax Payers Money, and export them without charging anything to other Countries. Even we control rice export, but we are not controlling the Doctors' leaving India after finishing their qualification. We should put a stop on this, so that the qualified Doctors serve in India. They should not receive their original Certificates, before completion of minimum 10 years service in India, so that the shortage of Doctors can be minimised. Mr. Peter Knightsly, a writer in the UK, had written about the Indian Aid to U.K. Medical Services - there are more than 10,000 Indian Doctors working in the U.K. If they have to train 10,000 Doctors, it will cost the British Government an average of PDS.STG.100,000 per doctor, whereas they got all these Doctors without a penny spending, resulting in Indian Aid to British Medical profession several billion Pounds. All these doctors were qualified from the Indian Tax Payers money. Medical Education should not be free, and should collect every penny from the Doctors. No Reservations should be given for MBBS Seats. Medical colleges should work Double Shift, so that the existing infrasture can be utilised to an optimum level. Salaries for Doctors - Both Private & Government - should be at a reasonable level - minimum of Rs.30,000/- per month from the beginning, with an average increase of 7 to 10% per year.
Tax Payer is Middle Class. Consumer is Middle Class. Poor people who are a majority are only be Subsidized and Subsidized.
If Govt is Subsidizing Education, Is the UK or USA giving Visas to All the Grads ????? NO! 50% of them i.e., OCs ??? NO!! What about the Rest ??? Aren't they working in India ??
Shamelessly crying about Subsidized Educated Going Abroad is the Nasty Communism. Fact is Majority of Taxes are being Spent on people who Never Ever paid Taxes AND Taxes are being increased directly/indirectly But Regularly.
The Govt has no duty to feed the people. Only the people have the right to Live and Govt should not create hurdles in it. But Govt is giving Subsidies in All forms to the Poor Increasing the Population of Poor in India by Multiple Folds - Means More Subsidies.
Infact, The Majority of the Funds given by Govts to Educational Institutions are actually to compensate the Undeserving Reserved Category People's Education, Lodging and Boarding.
What is Wrong If a Few percentage of Doctors or Enggs Go Abroad ??? It is Just Communist Envy Which actually wants to Enslave All Intellectuals thru Muscule Power And Enslave all women by depicting marriage as the origin of Feudalism and 'Marriage as Institutionalised Prostitution'.
Shame on This Communist Thinking. This Must Stop !
RE:SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS
by Yogi on Apr 07, 2008 03:59 PM Permalink
well said...esp our subsidy going to UK and USA...I beleive not just this but every kind of subsidy be done away with...govt should leave behind the policy of charity and adopt capitalism.
RE:Doctors are paid lessthan call centre workers
by Tom Dick on Apr 07, 2008 03:28 PM Permalink
You cannot get a carpenter or a plumber when you want them or you pay them what they ask. On the contrary, doctors are available at the hospital 24 x 7 and no one ask about their wages. However, people do complain about HOSPITALS charging too much. Obviously the doctors are prepared to work for whatever the hospitals are offering.
