Govt move to start diploma in medicine opposed in Bangarpet

The State government’s proposal to begin a diploma course in medicine has come under criticism in the taluk.

Those opposed to it are of the view that instead of starting a diploma course, the present degree course in medicine should be strengthened.

Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas had recently announced that diploma courses in medicine would be started in 18 medical colleges of the State.

There are no enough jobs for the lakhs of students who graduate from the umpteen number of medical colleges mushrooming in the country. This being the case, there is no need for a diploma course, said Dr Purushotham.

He said that the government must concentrate on providing jobs for the medical graduates. Purushotham is of the view that the doctors were not updating themselves with the latest developments in the field of medicine.

Despite technological breakthroughs and researches taking place, the number of deaths in the hospitals was on the rise, he said. He noted that the present day doctors were lacking in the service motive.

Purushotham said that doctors were not keen on serving in the villages, even as they fall to the guiles of the pharma companies. The poor were being used as guinea pigs by these firms to test their products, he alleged. He said solutions to such problems should be included in the syllabus for the medical courses.

Congress leader K M Narayanaswamy wants amendments to medical guidelines.
Dr Paramesh, President of the Karnataka Kranti Sene, has alleged that some institutions were providing degrees in medicine in the distance education mode. Doctors who secure degrees in this manner are practising in the villages and they could end up harming the people’s health, he said.

Instead of curbing such trends, it is condemnable that the government is planning a diploma course, he said. Those opposing the diploma plan recall that there was a three-year diploma course in medicine called LMP (licenced medical practitioner). But it was abolished as it was thought that there should not be different levels of medical courses.

When Dr K K Heggade was the health minister in 1961, he had started a three-year diploma course called DSM. Following opposition, it was shelved after two years, they point out.