– Dr. Rajendra Prasad Sharma
Brain drain of doctors from the country i.e. brain drain becomes important and serious in the sense that the country is still facing acute shortage of doctors. About 75 thousand doctors of the country are rendering their services in the countries associated with OECD ie Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The latest example can be seen in the country’s largest AIIMS, Delhi, where in the last ten months, seven specialist doctors have stopped providing services for one reason or the other. Today, there is a shortage of 200 doctors in AIIMS itself, which provides services to more than ten thousand people every day. This is just an example. There is no doubt that it is because of the competence and expertise of our doctors that we have made our mark in foreign countries. According to a rough estimate, out of 75,000 doctors living in OECD countries, about two-thirds are rendering their services in America only. It has to be admitted that there has been a significant improvement in the health services in the country, but a lot has to be done.
During Kovid, despite doing the best work in the world, our health services were exposed. Grenada is the country with the largest brain drain of doctors in the world. Ten thousand doctors from here have migrated abroad. During the Corona period, Grenada had to decide to recall its doctors from abroad. Corona has given new life to health services in our country and through government and non-government efforts, holistic and meaningful efforts were made to meet the needs of ventilators, oxygen concentrates etc. in hospitals, but even today due to lack of trained manpower, proper use of these equipments Not being there would be considered unfortunate.
If we analyze the data related to rural health services, then there is a shortage in urban areas in the country, but the situation in rural areas is more worrying. According to the Rural Health Statistics 2021-22, 81.6 percent pediatricians are not available in rural dispensaries in the country. And if we talk about general physicians, there is a shortage of 79 percent physicians in rural dispensaries. The shortfall is a little over 72 per cent for obstetricians. This is the situation shown in the official figures. Although some improvement in the situation can be seen in the latest report, but it would be unreasonable to expect much improvement. In fact, we have only seven doctors per 10,000 population, whereas a country like Cuba is leading in medical services in the countries of the world and there are 84 doctors available per 10,000 population, this number is 35 in America and 23 in China. Is.
The term brain drain first emerged during the World War when Indian engineers and other experts started going abroad to prove their mettle and made their mark there. In the 1950s to 1960s, there was a period of brain drain in UK, Canada and USA and it was called brain drain by the British Royal Society, so now brain drain abroad, irrespective of the country it is from, is being called as brain drain. Brain drain can also be considered good in a way because our talent is getting a place there but it cannot be called very good until the conditions at home are healthy.
Anyway, talents migrate not only from here but from almost all the countries of the world for one reason or the other. In foreign countries, the migration of talent has come to be called brain drain. Although now brain drain is also being called as brain gain, then the other and reverse brain drain is also happening. The question is that improving health services in the country and meeting the needs of doctors in the country is the need of the hour. Today we are celebrating the nectar festival of independence in the country. Despite this, the condition of health services in rural areas, especially the shortage of doctors and paramedical staff, is definitely a matter of concern. Especially after Corona, the government needs to be more serious. In fact, if facilities like foreign countries are available to our doctors, then their temptation to go abroad can be reduced to some extent. Despite lakhs of government claims, compared to other countries, only a little more than three percent of GDP is being spent on health services in our country, whereas in USA the expenditure on health of GDP is more than 18 percent and in Cuba it is 11 percent. , more than 10 are being spent in Japan.
In fact, it will take a long time to ensure the availability of doctors per ten thousand population in the country as per the set international standards. However, in the last years, medical services have expanded in the country. New AIIMS are being opened and hospitals are being opened in urban and rural areas. Rajasthan government has brought Right to Health. Mohalla dispensaries are being opened. But it is clear that universal health coverage in the country i.e. access to quality services to all the countrymen is still a distant thing. This year it has been decided to open 50 new medical colleges in the country. Including these, there are 702 medical colleges in the country, so now the seats for studying MBBS in medical colleges in the country have also increased to more than one lakh 7 thousand. This simply means that after a few years, we will start getting one lakh doctors every year, then there will be some doctors who return after studying abroad. If new doctors start coming in this way, the situation will improve.
The question still remains that the government will have to make concerted efforts to stop the brain drain of doctors. Along with improving the service conditions of doctors, investment in both private and government sectors will have to be promoted in this sector. Public health services have to be strengthened. Even today, the picture of investment in the medical sector is being seen that about 90 percent of the investment is coming in the private sector. It is a question of lakhs that despite lakhs of government arrangements, the access of most of the people to private hospitals is almost equal to none and it does not even seem that there will be any major change in the coming times.
One good thing for us is that medical tourism has started getting a boost in the country. The reputation of the country’s renowned hospitals and their own identity is the reason why foreigners have started coming here for treatment. Now, if young doctors adopt the path of migration to earn better facilities and fame in foreign countries, then efforts will also have to be made to stop it. It can be said that even if 75 thousand doctors from such a big country go on brain drain then what difference is going to be made. If the situation remains to be improved even then, then it would be our negative thinking. 75 thousand is not a small number. This will definitely improve in some sense. Other youths will be discouraged from taking the path of foreign countries.
Young and experienced specialist doctors are marketed on the international platform. If world-class seminars, workshops and similar activities related to medical research are publicized in the country by making an annual curriculum, then the doctors serving in the country will get world-class recognition. Medical tourism will get a boost and migration abroad will stop. Along with this, more attention has to be given to the service conditions and facilities. If this happens then definitely the brain drain of our young doctors will stop and better medical services will be available in the country. Due to this, the doctors who are going to go abroad will also get an opportunity to make their reputation and identity while staying in the country.
(The author is a freelance commentator.)
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