Bill to make doctors serve in rural areas soon

GUWAHATI February 20: Health Minister Kamala Kalita today informed the State Assembly that the State Government was planning to enact a legislation making it compulsory for Government doctors to serve in rural areas. In reply to cut motion on grant for Health Department, Kalita said a majority of Government doctors in the State were not willing to serve in rural areas. He also said mushrooming of nursing homes in urban areas of the State has opened large number of attractive job avenues for doctors who are averse to work in rural areas. He informed that almost all the States in the country were facing the same problem and the matter was brought to the notice of Central Government in Health Ministers' conference held in New Delhi recently. The Central Government is also contemplating to formulate a legislation to solve the problem.