Hyderabad: The Telangana state chapter of the Indian Medical Association has strongly demanded that the training for RMPs and PMPs in districts must not be carried out by the government and that all their illegal units in cities and districts must be shut down first. In a meeting at the IMA headquarters, Koti, on Thursday, Chairman Dr Narsingha Reddy said, “How can the government allow those who have no knowledge of modern medicine to be trained in public health? This is not acceptable to doctors who have spent years learning modern medicine.”
The TS government is opting for training of RMPs and PMPs in districts in a bid to provide healthcare services in the rural areas. The Telangana state Junior Doctors Association Chairman, Dr P.S. Vijayender, explained, “We are going to sensitise medical students in government and private colleges as this will impact the existence of allopathic doctors. Training quacks will mean that patients will go to them and when something goes wrong they will push the cases to qualified allopathic doctors. This is not acceptable.”
There is anger among the doctors as the government, instead of providing facilities for doctors in rural areas, is opting for training unqualified practitioners and risking rural health. The IMA has stated strongly that the government has failed to implement proper policy measures for improving rural public health and encouraging quacks to practice will only cause the healthcare system to deteriorate further.
Mr Reddy said, “If the government takes up the training programs we are going to boycott all medical services in the government and, if needed, in the private sector too.” The meeting was attended by doctors from IMA, Telangana Hospital and Nursing Homes Association, Telangana Government Doctors Association, Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association and Telangana Junior Doctors Association.
