Kolkata, Oct 19 (FN Representative) It has been quite disheartening to witness, over the years, the increasing disinclination of bright young students to opt for the medical profession, according to Dr Naresh Purohit, Executive Member of the Federation of Hospital Administrator. Speaking to UNI here on Tuesday, Visiting Professor at the Kolkata-based West Bengal University of Health Sciences , School of Public Health, Dr Purohit said, “As a society, we cannot afford to accept this trend. The long training period, lack of commensurate remuneration and the shortage of adequate opportunities for professional growth are some of the apparent reasons for the decline in the popularity of the medical profession.”
He averred that the sheer nobility of the medical profession, coupled with the thrill of cracking hidden secrets and mysteries of science, has a magnetic pull for intelligent minds and idealistic hearts, and we must provide an adequate platform for talent to flourish. He said, “The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the realities and weaknesses of India’s healthcare system. The sufferings of people during the pandemic need no elaboration. The need for reforming our medical care and medical education sectors can no longer be denied. Better medical infrastructure and more highly trained medical professionals are the need of the hour, if we are to ensure quality healthcare to our people.”
Dr Purohit pointed that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was introduced with great promises. It was done at a time when debates related to high capitation fees and costly medical education were raging, and there were allegations that private medical colleges had commercialised medical education, he stated. “The objective of NEET was to end profiteering and capitation fee, stop malpractice, and create uniformity and end multiplicity of entrance exams making things simple for students.But NEET only created a mirage of ending malpractice and ushering equality of opportunity. In actuality, it delivered the exact opposite. Cost of medical education in private colleges remained quite high. NEET was not able to stop profiteering,” he mentioned. “In fact, there is no mechanism in the process of NEET that can lead to the end of profit-making. Rather, NEET has created new business opportunities for coaching centres.
Now, coaching centres are almost a prerequisite to secure admission to medical colleges.This is, again, putting a financial burden on families of students, especially those from poor households. Scams and paper leaks happen regularly, and now have all-India scope and implications,” he added. Renowned Epidemiologist Dr Purohit stated that while COVID-19 has been presented as an overarching public health calamity, the influence of medical doctors in the health policy response to COVID-19 has been particularly profound. “This is symptomatic of our long-standing tendency to confound medicine with public health which permeates even the highest policy-making echelons.The need for expertise in areas like public health, epidemiology and family medicine cannot be stressed enough, particularly when the country is facing the COVID-19 pandemic,” he iterated.