The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) to revamp the medical education system in the country. The recommendations have come from a core group of experts appointed by the NHRC and led by Dr NH Antia of the AIIMS. The committee completed a nationwide review of the healthcare system.

To begin with, the Commission has asked the MCI to start a three-year course for training of doctors on basic preventive and curative health services and also to launch a one-year bridge course for doctors of Indian system of medicine. This, as per the Commission, would help in tackling the basic problem of lack of trained manpower at community health centres and primary health centres.

Identifying the lack of manpower as a big ‘hindrance’ in healthcare, the NHRC said: “Even though the statistics show sufficient number of trained manpower in the country as a whole, but the micro-analysis clearly reflects lack of trained doctors and para-medical staff at the PHC and CHCs.’’

Pointing out that deficit of women doctors was plaguing the healthcare system, the Commission has asked the MCI to start a two-three year course for midwifery. This course would raise a localised force of midwives who could play a crucial role in bringing down the maternal mortality rate in the country. India’s MMR is one of the highest in the world.

The core group has praised Gujarat for efficient implementation of the institutional delivery system for making medicines available to all. The Commission has named Tamil Nadu as a model state for implementing drug procurement policy that restricts the private practitioners from over-prescribing the medicines.

... contd.