Compulsory 5-yr rural stint for doctors

Health Minister Aravind Limbavali on Friday said the government would make it mandatory for doctors posted in rural areas to serve for five years. The rule would be applicable to even specialists, he said.

A decision on this will be taken during the next Cabinet meeting, the minister said while responding to queries of the Opposition members in the Legislative Council on the measures taken by his department to fill up the vacancies to the posts of doctors.

He conceded that most doctors shied away from working in rural areas. There are 5,939 posts, of which 4,477 have been filled up and of the 1,348 vacancies, 899 posts are that of specialists. Recently, applications were invited for 600 posts of doctors. The department received only 252 applications, and only 75 doctors finally reported for duty.

Even hiring doctors on contract basis has become difficult, said Limbavali.

Congress MLCs Allam Prabhu Patil and S R Patil attacked the minister and said the government should not let this problem tie its hands down.

Instead, better salaries and incentives should be given to the doctors, especially for those posted in North Karnataka districts, to ensure that the doctors did not abstain from work. “It is a shame that government itself states that in some places doctors work only for three days a week. Is this the way to function?” said Patil.

MLC Patel Shivaram demanded Limbavali to initiate an inquiry against officials for furnishing wrong information on dengue deaths in Hassan district.

Shivaram had sought to know how many dengue deaths had occurred in Hassan, and the department had said that there have been no deaths in the recent past.

“This is an utter lie. The government doctor himself has certified that four dengue deaths have occurred in the district. Disciplinary action should be initiated against officials for such an irresponsible reply,” he added. He also said that the government had failed to pay any compensation to the families of the victims.