GUWAHATI, Feb 19 — State Government’s bid to improve healthcare in rural areas suffered a serious set-back as out of the 400 doctors recruited recently to man health centres in rural areas, 350 rejected the job offer. Dr Bhumidhar Barman, the Health Minister, informed that out of the 400 selected candidates only 50 honoured the appointment letters issued to them by joining duty in rural health centres. Dr Barman termed the tendency of fresh medical graduates to keep off from rural areas as an alarming development considering that over 80 per cent of the total population in the State live in rural areas. He stated that the Government had taken exception to rejection of job offers by so many doctors and was contemplating to demand compensation of Rs 3 lakh from each of them as by declining to serve the State government they had violated the undertaking given by them at the time of admission to Medical Colleges in the State.
Dr Barman lamented that for last few years the system of taking undertaking from students who are selected for admission into Medical College in the State, was not adhered to. However, from this year it would be enforced very strictly, he asserted. As per such undertakings given by the students, they are supposed to serve in the State for at least five years after taking Medical degree. Dr Barman stated that considering the prevailing adverse conditions in the State it would be not possible to achieve “Health for all” even by the end of the year 2010. He said the State has got one doctor per 5000 people at this moment against the laid down norms of one doctor per 2000 people.
Meanwhile, to ensure availability of essential medicines in all the health centres in the State, seven regional warehouses have been set up to store the medicines and maintain steady supply to all the health centres. He said all these regional warehouses would be computerised soon to maintain tab on the supply of each medicine and prevent short supply. According to Dr Barman, the Health Department was not averse to issue directives to all private clinical laboratories in the State to maintain uniformity in the charge made by them for different medical tests. The department in likely to ensure that the rates are displayed in all such laboratories.