Medicos boycott classes against mandatory rural posting

Madurai, Sep 5 (UNI) Over 1,000 medical students and house surgeons, affiliated to Tamil Nadu Medical Students' Association (TNMSA) and Students doing Compulsory Rotary Residential Internship (CRRI), today boycotted classes, as part of their state-wide agitation against the Centre's move to making rural service mandatory.

They held that the move would increase the MBBS course duration by another year.

The agitators staged a demonstration at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) premises and took out a procession from GRH to the District Collectorate, where they submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Collector.

TNMSA District President R Kannan told the media that the medical students were ready to serve in rural areas, but only after getting permanent placement.

The one-year period, split into four months of service in district headquarters hospital and four months each in a taluka hospital and primary health centre would not serve the purpose, as the duration would be too short to adapt to the local conditions, he said.

Appointing trainees would increase the risk factor in treatment, he added.

UNI