Rural doctors for rural Indians -- Bachelor in Rural Medicine & Surgery -- Stop this madness

Yet another move to help private colleges make money. Realising the huge middle class economy category population our 'prestigious' management seats will be now sold in a more affordable package so that middle class can enter the tentacles of private colleges. Just imagine what a huge market for it :) Instead of selling at 40 lacs per seat it will be about 10 lacs which will be easily affordable to the rich farmers of rural india:) long live the indian healthcare boom!

Now the news .. the Union govt. & MCI has decided to open a new medical course naming B.R.M.S. in  just 3-1/2 years !! How is it possible ???

Times of India wrote:

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A medical degree in 3-1/2 years? This could soon be a reality with the health ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI) planning a shorter medical degree for rural students who would exclusively serve the rural populace. After incentives failed to lure doctors to practise in remote areas, the health ministry is finalising the novel scheme along with MCI to start 3-1/2 year degree courses in medicine and surgery in institutes set up in rural areas. Under the scheme, the undergraduate `Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery' (BRMS) degree would be acquired in two phases and at two different levels -- Community Health Facility (one-and-a-half year duration) and sub-divisional hospitals (secondary level hospitals) for a further duration of two years. The BRMS degree would be offered by institutes in rural areas with an annual sanctioned strength of 50 students. "Selection of students would be based on merit in the 10+2 examination with physics, chemistry and biology as subjects. A student who has had his entire schooling in a rural area with a population not more than 10,000 would be eligible for selection, which would be done by professional bodies set up by the Directorate of Medical Education of the state governments," the scheme noted.

Terming the Union health ministry proposal to start a bachelor’s degree course in rural medicine and surgery (BRMS) as a “senseless step” to save villagers from quacks, students from ayurvedic, Unani and homeopathy colleges of UP took out a protest march on Thursday. The march started from the Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital in Tudiaganj. Raising anti-government slogans, they demanded immediate withdrawal of the proposal. The march culminated into a congregation at the Shaheed Smarak.
“Compromising quality to meet a crisis is not a solution to any problem. The decision is ridiculous, especially when the government has qualified doctors,” said Jeetendra Kumar, president, Prantiye Ayush Chhatra Sangarsh Samiti - the banner under which the students are protesting.
The association cited various facts to prove its point:
First, the country has more than 7.25 lakh Ayush doctors, most of whom are passouts of government ayurvedic, Unani and homeopathy colleges. But of these, only 41,000 are in government doctors. “Why not use this human resource to do the needful?” questioned a student.
Second, agitating students said , Ayush doctors study basic aspects of medicine and survey and dynamics of health for five-and-a-half years which includes one year of internship. Many pursue postgraduation and even research which means that Ayush doctors are more qualified than BRMS doctors.