<p>The Central government has done well to raise the retirement age of government doctors to 65. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the announcement recently and it has now been officially stated that the superannuation age of all doctors of the Central Government Health Service has been increased to 65 from May 31. The government has said that the decision would help it to retain experienced doctors for a longer period and thus help strengthen the public healthcare system. There is a severe shortage of doctors in government services and in the entire health system. Doctors who retire from government service usually work in the private sector. So, the government’s decision cannot be said to lead to an increase in the total number of doctors in the country. It will only maintain the present level of strength of doctors in the government’s healthcare system. This is important because the recruitment of fresh doctors is slow-paced, as the government’s health expenditure is not increasing substantially and young doctors are reluctant to join government service.<br /><br />One government doctor in India has to serve more than 11,000 people. The infrastructure and facilities available in government hospitals are also very bad. That is why the healthcare system is in such dire straits. There may be better facilities in the private health sector but these are not affordable for ordinary citizens. But the number of doctors is low even if the private sector is taken into consideration. Against the World Health Organisation (WHO) norm of one doctor for 1,000 persons, India has only one for every 1,700 persons. The country needs at least six lakh more doctors at the basic level to meet the norm. The number of nurses and other paramedical personnel also has to increase accordingly. This calls for a major expansion of the medical education system.<br /><br />The malpractices in the medical education system, which is riddled with problems like corruption, donations and capitation fees, are a direct result of the shortage of seats and the mismatch between demand and supply. The Medial Council of India (MCI) has turned out to be a corrupt body, taking advantage of the situation. The proposed restructuring of the MCI and the move for a common national entrance test for medical admission might help to improve the situation. The immediate need is to set up more medical colleges and increase the turnout of doctors. This is not an easy task but it has to be done. Different states have different retirement ages for doctors. They should also follow the Centre in raising the age of superannuation.<br /><br /></p>
<p>The Central government has done well to raise the retirement age of government doctors to 65. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the announcement recently and it has now been officially stated that the superannuation age of all doctors of the Central Government Health Service has been increased to 65 from May 31. The government has said that the decision would help it to retain experienced doctors for a longer period and thus help strengthen the public healthcare system. There is a severe shortage of doctors in government services and in the entire health system. Doctors who retire from government service usually work in the private sector. So, the government’s decision cannot be said to lead to an increase in the total number of doctors in the country. It will only maintain the present level of strength of doctors in the government’s healthcare system. This is important because the recruitment of fresh doctors is slow-paced, as the government’s health expenditure is not increasing substantially and young doctors are reluctant to join government service.<br /><br />One government doctor in India has to serve more than 11,000 people. The infrastructure and facilities available in government hospitals are also very bad. That is why the healthcare system is in such dire straits. There may be better facilities in the private health sector but these are not affordable for ordinary citizens. But the number of doctors is low even if the private sector is taken into consideration. Against the World Health Organisation (WHO) norm of one doctor for 1,000 persons, India has only one for every 1,700 persons. The country needs at least six lakh more doctors at the basic level to meet the norm. The number of nurses and other paramedical personnel also has to increase accordingly. This calls for a major expansion of the medical education system.<br /><br />The malpractices in the medical education system, which is riddled with problems like corruption, donations and capitation fees, are a direct result of the shortage of seats and the mismatch between demand and supply. The Medial Council of India (MCI) has turned out to be a corrupt body, taking advantage of the situation. The proposed restructuring of the MCI and the move for a common national entrance test for medical admission might help to improve the situation. The immediate need is to set up more medical colleges and increase the turnout of doctors. This is not an easy task but it has to be done. Different states have different retirement ages for doctors. They should also follow the Centre in raising the age of superannuation.<br /><br /></p>
