Medicos embark on cycle rally

Madurai, Sep 7 (UNI) Students of Madurai Medical College (MMC) embarked on a cycle rally from MMC grounds here to Chennai today, to protest against the Centre's proposal to increase the duration of MBBS course by subjecting medicos to one-year compulsory service in rural areas.

The 11-member team, led by Nalla Thambi, a final-year student, would meet the State Health Secretary at Chennai and submit a memorandum in this regard.

The students said they were ready to serve in rural pockets after getting a permanent placement. The one-year-period, split into four months of service each in district headquarters hospital, taluk hospital and primary health centre would not serve the purpose, as the duration would be too short to adapt to local conditions and build up a healthy relationship with the patients, they said.

Filling vacancies in these hospitals with students, would only deprive qualified doctors of employment. It would also amount to risk as a student could not be held responsible for any mistakes in carrying out the treatment, they said.

UNI