Indian Journal of Medical Ethics

LETTERS

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2011.027


Rural doctors

Regarding your editorial on rural doctors (1), by conducting a short term course to treat our village population, the government will compromise on the quality of treatment..

Instead of conducting a course for freshers, the government should train physiotherapists who have undergone a four and a half year course and covered almost all the subjects that an MBBS student reads. There are many unemployed physiotherapists in India, and even many of those who are employed earn barely Rs 4,000-5,000 a month.

The government should take the initiative and call physiotherapists for interviews and give them six months’ training in the treatment of common diseases. I think they will be far better than students who have undergone only a short course.

Arihant Sharma, drarihantsharma@gmail.com

References

  1. Varghese J. The new rural doctor: qualified quack or appropriate healthcare provider? Indian J Med Ethics. 2010 Apr-Jun;7(2):70-2.