Impossible Gap? Country needs 15 lakh medical specialists, produces only 65000 each year

Chikkaballapur: India's First Free Private Rural Medical College, Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research organised a Global Health Conference on the theme - Augmenting Synergies for Universal Healthcare, co-hosted by AIIMS New Delhi, at Sathya Sai Grama on 08 and 09 December 2023.

This global healthcare conference aims to create a dynamic platform for cross-industry collaboration and foster dialogue between key contributors of the healthcare sector from pharmaceutical industry leaders, regulators and researchers, to hospital administrators and medical professionals, healthcare technology innovators, Government officials and policy makers, insurance companies, academicians, and medical students.

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India sent a letter carrying his message, an excerpt of which read: “It is great to see that the Sri Madhusudan Institute of Medical Sciences and Research is focusing on creating a holistic ecosystem for ensuring last-mile access to healthcare services.

Initiatives like yours will ensure that competencies are built in our ecosystem for effective healthcare service delivery for India's citizens and will promote ‘role-based’ learning rather than ‘rule-based’ and ‘competency-based’ learning, and also enhance policy-making in the field of healthcare and pharmaceuticals. I must appreciate the effort that you all have put in. I am confident that the discussions during the conference will be of high order and will be in line with the vision of creating a developed India by 2047.”

Dr M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi said in his opening remarks – “When Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai visited AIIMS, he said that ‘character’ and ‘culture’ are very important in an education system, including medical education.

Following the MOU we signed, today AIIMS and Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research are co-hosting this Global Health Conference. Sri Madhusudan Sai’s institutions are a unique example of how free treatment and free medical education are given. I am very happy that the conference is deliberating on affordable and equitable healthcare. We, the tertiary centres take care of the super specialties, while Sri Madhusudan Sai’s institutions are also focusing on primary and secondary care, which is really commendable.”

Dr Minu Bajpai, Executive Director, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) and Former Dean, AIIMS New Delhi said in his keynote address: “Our country is short of 15 lakh specialists and currently we produce only 65k postgraduates every year seemingly impossible to cover the gap.

In order to spike up the postgraduate students, the intake of undergraduates must be increased through the tripartite model of National Board, Medical Colleges, and Private hospitals. Looking at the awe-inspiring service provided by Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, I am going to propose the board to make this institution a centre in South India for conducting National Board examinations and also to be one of the 25 centres of National Centre for Skill Development to be launched by National Board soon.”

Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai said, “There cannot be a happy individual in an unhappy society, a happy society in an unhappy nation, a happy nation in an unhappy world. In a society, we are all interdependent. To make healthcare accessible, available, affordable and equitable for all is the aim of this conference. Hence, it is important for all of us – pharmaceutical industry, healthcare industry and healthcare technology industry, to come together for universalisation of healthcare. This conference will lead of practical and implementable solutions in this line.

Our Honourable Prime Minister and Health Minister have taken very bold steps in the field of Healthcare like the Ayushman Bharath Yojana, which is the largest healthcare coverage offered by any Government in the world, for about 60 crore people in the country. To support the efforts of the Government, our Hospital provides completely free of cost healthcare, yet operates with very low administrative cost, by economies of scale, as an efficient model.

With everyone coming together, we can do much more to improve capacity building, and make healthcare accessible and equitable for all, especially in the rural areas. As an institution, we are more than committed to ensure that the vision of the Government is manifested, and are implemented in the rural areas. We are committed to offer whatever we can, to work together as collaborators and partners to deliver healthcare to the last person.”

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