Shillong, Apr 29: The Meghalaya government is exploring changes to the medical bond policy to ensure doctors return to serve in the state, which is facing an “acute shortage” of specialists, especially in rural areas.
Informing this on Wednesday, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla told reporters that the state sends students for MBBS each year, but many do not return for postings, especially in villages.
“I have also sat down with the chief minister and our team from the medical education that we are exploring if we could come up with the change in the bond policy also because most of the issues we found out that no doubt every year, we are sending our doctors but most of them don’t come back (to serve in the state) especially when it comes to rural posting,” he said.
“That is why, we are trying to come up with a change in the bond policy where our students who are pursuing MBBS after completing their studies, they will come and work in the state.”
The minister pointed to progress in medical education, with the Shillong Medical College starting its first MBBS batch this year.
“As of now, you could see that specially this year, we could start the first batch of the doctors in the Shillong Medical College. That means the medical education is growing,” he said.
He added that the government is upgrading nursing schools to colleges to expand opportunities. “Now we are trying to convert most of our nursing schools to nursing colleges so that they will get more avenues.”
To address the specialist gap in rural areas, the department is deputing doctors for short-term courses. “Other than that we are trying to come up with because of the shortage of the specialists in the rural areas, that is why we are sending them for short term courses,” Shylla said.
Shylla said Meghalaya allocates 8 percent of its total budget to health — the highest proportion among states.
“Right now if you see the kind of effort, the kind of initiative and the kind of support which the government is giving and if you see for that matter, Meghalaya is giving 8 percent of the total budget allocation to health department, which is the highest in the country right now,” he said.
He added that per capita health spending in the state is double the national average.
“The annual spending for each person in India on an average is Rs 3500 but in Meghalaya, we are spending more than Rs 7,000 for each person,” Shylla said.
“That shows the kind of priority we are giving and the kind of push we are giving but no doubt just giving money is not enough as we need to have a vision, we need to have a plan and as you all know, health department is a very vast department.”
The minister acknowledged multiple challenges in the sector.
“Our efforts like no doubt like I said there are many challenges and there are many issues and side by side there is issue of infrastructure, there is issue of manpower, issue of equipment and other things, there are issues of stigma and there are issues of people not coming and doing the check up on time. So there are many issue,” he said.
Still, he maintained the state is headed in the right direction. “What I can say is that we are on the right track and we are getting the kind of priority as expected and with all the support we get from the government, I definitely hope that things will improve.”
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