To end doctor shortage, PG diploma at dist hospitals
TERMS The diploma will be awarded after serving at a government hospital for three years Rajasthan is the first state in the country to run twoyear PG diploma courses and threeyear fellowship programmes at district hospitals. The courses will start on March 1 this year.
DR SUNIL SINGH health and family welfare training institute principal JAIPUR:
Rajasthan will start postgraduate diploma courses at its district hospitals from March this year to end shortage of specialists in government health care sector. Approved by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the diploma will only be awarded to doctors after they have served at a government hospital for three years, said an officer of the health department.
For 11,000 sanctioned posts, one-third is reserved for specialists (doctors with postgraduate degree), while currently, Rajasthan has a shortfall of 3,000.
“Rajasthan is the first state in the country to run two-year PG diploma courses and three-year fellowship programmes at district hospitals. The courses will start on March 1 this year,” said health and family welfare training institute principal, Dr Sunil Singh.
The decision, he added, was taken to overcome the shortage of specialists at various government hospitals in the state.
“The certificates will be deposited with director public health and will be given to the doctors after they have worked at a government health care centre for three years,” Dr Singh said.
After three years, the doctors will be free to work in the private sector.
He said that a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Government of Rajasthan and College of Physicians and Surgeons (Mumbai).
The courses will be equivalent to the postgraduate degree offered by medical colleges, the only difference being it will run at district, satellite and sub-divisional hospitals.
There are 266 seats in diploma and 12 in fellowship programmes, half of which will be reserved for government doctors.
College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) has seen 65 facilities in the state of which it has selected 32 facilities, including district, satellite and sub-division hospitals across the state.
These facilities have the required infrastructure, equipment and human resources to teach students.
Currently, teachers are being trained at State Institute of Health and Family Welfare in Jaipur.
They will, in turn, teach students at their respective hospitals, Dr Singh said.
He added that initially diploma and fellowship will be started for 11 subjects including gynaecology, paediatrics, anaesthesia, medicine, surgery, radiology, ENT, orthopaedics and skin.
Fees for two-year diploma will be Rs 50,200, while for three-year fellowship it will be Rs 70,200.