Jaya flays Centre's compulsory rural postings for medicos

Chennai, Nov 23 (UNI) Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today flayed the Centre for its move to extend the MBBS course by one year for making one year rural posting compulsory for Medicos and announced an agitation in support of the students.

In a statement here, she said the Centre's move to extend the MBBS course from five-and-a-half year to six-and-a-half year would severely affect the students from poor and downtrodden families.

The AIADMK would organise agitations in front of 15 Government Medical Colleges in the state on November 27 at 1000 hrs to condemn the Centre and the DMK government, which extended its support to the proposal.

Senior party leaders would lead the agitations to be held in front of the colleges in Theni, Vellore, Thanjavur, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Salem, Kanniyakumari, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Perundurai, Chennai and Tuticorin, she said.

Besides the general public and partymen, Medicos and House Surgeons of the respective colleges should take part in the agitation in large numbers and register their protests, she said.

Considering the recent developments in the field of medicine, the Medicos, after obtaining MBBS degrees, should complete Post Graduation or specilisation in their chosen field to become a full-fledged doctor and by this time, they would cross the age of 30 year.

At the same time, their counterparts in Engineering Colleges, would complete their degrees at the age of 24 or 25 and start earning Rs 50,000 to Rs One lakh per month, she said.

This made the Medicos and their parents to think that the future was bleak for them.

As the Centre's present move posed a threat to their future, students, especially those hailing from rural areas and poor families, would not show interest in joining Medicine, Ms Jayalalithaa said adding only the bright students were getting admission to Medicine and the Centre's move would discourage them from opting for the course.

Under the existing system, the Medicos were made to serve in rural areas and if the government appointed them as doctors after they completed their MBBS course, they would be more willing to serve in rural areas, Ms Jayalalithaa said.

In these circumstances, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss' decision to make one year rural posting compulsory, extending the MBBS course by one year, deserved to be condemned, the AIADMK leader said.

UNI