facilities, ok -- but ...

 

 

UNION Health Minister Mr. Jagat Prasad Nadda is right when he asserts that young Indian doctors had freedom to go abroad, but could not accuse the country of not having appropriate medical facilities. For, over the past some years, India has created good enough medical infrastructure so that young doctors could avail of the facilities right in their own country -- since they have no reason to complain on that count. However, what the country lacks is a proper showcasing of the reasonably good medical infrastructure that the country has built over the past some years. Falling short on that count, India has been losing quite many young medical aspirants to courses in foreign countries. It is time the nation made a concerted bid to change the situation favourably by propagating the nation’s achievements in the field of medical infrastructure and related facilities.

 

If that is done effectively, countless numbers of young medical aspirants would choose to stay on in India and not travel to other countries for basic or basic-plus medical education. The biggest difficulty in this regard is that India has really not tried its best to propagate what it has and what it can provide to young aspirants -- not just in the medical field, but also in several other fields. There may be a couple of reasons for this reluctance on the part of the Government and on the part of the leaders of the larger society to tell to the common people what the country has and what and how it offers to young generations -- and that how inexpensive medical education in India is as against the medical education in most other countries.

 

In the absence of such an awareness, countless numbers of young Indians travel to different countries for their basic or basic-plus medical education at huge cost. Another issue that dominates the scene is the higher degree of difficulty for young people to get admissions in medical institutions in the country -- governmental or private. In comparison, admissions to foreign universities appear easier -- and are available if the candidates are willing to pay hefty fees (that most Indian families make for by selling their family assets and taking expensive loans). In the past twenty-odd years, countries like Russia and China have attracted literally countless thousands of young Indians in their medical institutions -- in addition to more or less similar conditions prevailing in several western countries. The issue, thus, assumes complex dimensions, and creates genuine concerns in India.

 

When the honourable Union Health Minister makes a specific appeal to young Indians that they cannot accuse the country of not having adequate medical education facilities, it becomes his natural duty to take firmer steps to bring to the society’s notice what the country offers in that regard. It is also essential for the Government to set stricter rules for medical admissions so that the merit of the young aspirant is tested fully and the person is given admission to medical colleges only when he or she fully deserves it. This issue also brings us to another serious issue of quality of medical services in the country -- which is also closely related to the quality of medical education available in the country. In the Government sector, things are still okay to a large extent. In private medical institutions, a similar claim cannot be made -- since a lot of compromises are made to accommodate students who have the capacity to pay fees but may not have the adequate merit to suit the field. The ill-effect of this issue is often seen in the society. Complaints about wrong diagnosis or wrong medication are on the rise all the time -- thanks to the casualness with which the issue of medical education appears to be handled by the authorities. The practical realities on the ground, thus, make it imperative for the larger society to re-examine the issue of medical education in totality -- and then take corrective steps.