Anbumani Ramadoss' Skewed Philosophies

• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/SRK_to_Ramadoss_Dont_pick_on_little_things/articleshow/2737179.cms
  Inconvenient Facts
  Medical Colleges in India - 262
• Doctors Passing Out Annually - 30,922


• Doctors Employed in Urban India - 90 %.


• Urban Population - 30% of total Indian Population


• Rural Population - 70%


• Private Sector Contribution to Health Services - 75%


• Vacant Posts in Government Hospitals - 51%


• About 7% of children in Madhya Pradesh die before they reach their first birthday.


• 60% under the age of three are malnourished. That is worse than in Africa.


• British government gives about £60m ($117m) a year to the government for health projects alone. It is hard to say exactly where the money goes.
  

Anbumani Speaks

• film stars, sportspersons and other celebrities to desist from endorsing soft drinks in the interest of larger public health.


• Anbumani Ramadoss finally managed to dislodge the director of the All India Institute of Medical Science, Dr P Venugopal from his post. There is little Ramadoss did not try: media war, arbitrary decisions by the health ministry controlled governing board of the A.I.I.M.S and repeated interference in the functioning of the premier medical school. Finally, in an act of sheer desperation, he bulldozed through a bill in the parliament which retrospectively fixed the retirement age of A.I.I.M.S director at 65. Since, Dr Venugopal had already crossed the age of 65, it is clear that this provision was specifically directed at him.Who is the real sufferer in this sordid drama? Venugopal’s term would have ended in July 2008. It is A.I.I.M.S whose functioning has come to a virtual standstill, with its reputation as a center of excellence reduced to tatters.


• Appeals to Shah Rukh Khan and other film personalities to avoid smoking on screen. He was also critical of Khan for smoking at a cricket match.


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  Anbumani Ramadoss accepts the post-graduate medical degrees of five "English speaking nations: Britain, Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. the Medical Council of India (MCI), the apex medical education regulating body of the country does not recognise it. As per an act of parliament, MCI is the 'medical education recognising body' of the country. The health ministry cannot take a decision on foreign degrees completely by itself. Ramadoss said that his ministry has recognised the post-graduate medical degrees without any reciprocal arrangement with those countries.


• According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the apex body of doctors in the country, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss is simply an MBBS and the country needs experts to manage the portfolio.


• Anbumani Ramadoss proposed quota for other backward classes (OBCs) in institutes of higher learning. IMA has been at loggerheads with the minister over the issue.


• MBBS students to serve one year in rural India before being awarded a degree.

There is little doubt about the noble intentions of Anbumani Ramadoss, though the logic and manner of imposing his philosophies on the nation are questionable. According to him, compulsory rural service is the best way to set right the anomalies in public healthcare. He has conveniently ignored the fact that the students are not trained to serve in the villages and that rural health cannot be treated so casually, particularly when most Government funding goes to provide the best healthcare for urban India. Relying on students to provide healthcare amounts to giving second-class treatment to rural India.

There is indeed a pressing need to correct the imbalance of doctors in rural and urban areas. But for that, the Minister should concentrate on improving the 'Healthcare Centres' and their infrastructure instead of putting the cart before the horse and sending novice doctors there. Rural and socially disadvantaged people tend to have far more serious and complex medical problems that need more knowledge, expertise and experience. These problems are certainly beyond the capacity of young, unsupervised doctors.

Viable Alternatives

• Improve infrastructure, equipment and support staff in primary health centers.


• Create a link between primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.


• Make students feel they are a part of a big team caring for rural patients.


• Do not make it look like a painful exile for the students.


• Pay them handsome incentives.


• Do not lengthen their education.


• Instead of adding on an extra year, the curriculam to factor in a few extra hours every week to spend in far off villages.


• Demonstrate seriousness of intent by filling up vacant medical posts in rural areas.

Conclusion

The Minister would do well to concentrate on his job rather than expressing an opinion on issues that he is totally clueless about. He has already proved his creative genius by devising ways to rid the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of its Director, P Venugopal by pushing through an ordinance in the Parliament. Such bulldozing tactics can only reflect adversely on an already lopsided healthcare system in the country. India can do without the likes of Anbumani Ramadoss and his skewed philosophies.