Doctors should serve in rural areas before getting promotion: Venkaiah Naidu
Bhubaneswar, Aug 25 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that every doctor should serve at least 3 years in rural areas before getting a promotion.
"It should be made mandatory for young doctors to serve at least 3 years in rural areas before getting promotion," Naidu told the first convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar.
He said there was a need to increase the number of doctors available at healthcare centres in rural areas as the absence of qualified medical practitioners was making people approach quacks.
"We need to overcome the acute shortage of healthcare providers as also the infrastructure in rural areas," he added. Naidu also stressed on the need to increase the number of medical colleges.
The Vice President said medical education curriculum had to be constantly updated, by including the latest developments and methods of treatment.
"Doctors must be trained to be more sensitive towards the sufferings of the patients and their families and should provide the healing touch with effective communication. There can be no greater service than restoring fellow human beings to good health," he said.
Naidu said schemes such as 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana' or the National Health Protection Scheme would be a game-changer in terms of accessing healthcare services in India.
Speaking on girls' education, he said: "Who says women can do nothing? Given an opportunity they can do wonders. Girls are outperforming boys."
Speaking at the event, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the institution was growing fast and hopes rare surgeries, which are now carried out at AIIMS Delhi, would soon be conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar.
He said it would be a befitting tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee if his statue was installed in the premises of AIIMS here.
Notably, Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of the hospital here in 2003. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said AIIMS Bhubaneswar provided treatment to over 5 lakh patients last year.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
