MBBS to be eligibility criteria for IMS
Date :28-Jul-2020
Principal Correspondent :
Working Group headed by Dr Vedprakash Mishra submits the report for creation of Indian Medical Services as a cadre under the domain of Civil Services
The entry to the Indian Medical Services (IMS) would be exclusively allocable to those who possesses MBBS from a recognised medical college and examining University included in the governing schedule. This is one of the recommendations made by Working Group headed by Dr Vedprakash Mishra, Pro-Chancellor of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences deemed to be university regarding creation of IMS as a cadre under domain of civil services.
The eligibility has been decided in view of the specialised nature of the services entrustable to the personnel under IMS. The Working Group has submitted the report to Dr Rajan Sharma, National President, Indian Medical Association, Headquarters, New Delhi. The committee had Dr Vinay Aggarwal, Dr Shivkumar Utture, Chairman of Maharashtra Medical Council as other members while Dr R V Asokan was the Member Secretary. The committee was expected to recommend structural, functional and operational modalities for creation of IMS.
This was done to remove the lacunae in running and functioning of Government Medical Colleges and other health centres. It has been observed by the several authorities that non-medical bureaucrat fails to understand the issues related to front-line health workers as well as the problems of patients. If a person graduated from modern medicine branch gets the responsibility of handling medical education or public health it would make difference. In the past it has been proved, observed several medicos. Even during corona pandemic the bureaucrats like Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Secretary, Medical Education; Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Divisional Commissioner; Dr Rajan Khobragade, Principal Health Secretary at Kerala, Dr Nitin Kulkarni, Principal Secretary for health services at Ranchi successfully handled the new issue like corona because they are medical graduates.
The operation of the IMS would be akin to and on par with those as applicable to Indian Administrative Services with reference to terms, service conditions, postings, modality of recruitment, allotment of cadre and other cogent correlates. The structure of the Indian Medical Services would be in the form of a cadre specialised in character for the dispensation of healthcare services including those in the domain of public health excluding the domain of medical education in its entirety as All India Civil Services emanating out of All India Services Act, 1951 read with Article 312 (1) of the Constitution of India with service conditions thereto being such as would be prescribed by the Ministry of Personnel and Training, Government of India from time to time in tune with those applicable to other cadres.
The committee pointed out, “All India Services ensure integrity, cohesion, efficiency and coordination with administration of the country. The common recruitment and training ensures uniform standard of administration in the States and Union Territories as well. The effective leadership stands acquire through placements Right from Sub-Divisional/District, provincial, up to central level. The varied administrative experience with addition of professional medical skills will help in better management of any health issue. It would add to the qualitative improvement in medical and health services.
National Health Programme Scheme and projects thereto would get better implemented yielding optimal public benefits. Dr Mishra told ‘The Hitavada’, “Most important aspect that Committee observed is of weaving the network of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary healthcare services as an integral part of crystallised healthcare delivery system. Only the medico understands its importance. There is a myth that doctors as professionals are poor managers. However, the runaway success of doctors as leaders in private healthcare industry belies such a generalized and simplistic conclusion.”