Chennai: With medical colleges and new AIIMS across the country facing shortage of faculty, a member of NITI Aayog, the Union Government's top policy making body, on Monday urged medical graduates to "join academics" to meet the requirements of doctors, specialists and researchers.
Dr Vinod K. Paul, member (health and nutrition), NITI Aayog, also said state governments should allot at least 8 per cent of its total budget to the health sector instead of the current 4.5 per cent to 5 per cent to provide comprehensive primary health care to all its citizens.
"I urge you to join academics. We are short of faculty in our medical colleges and the new AIIMS. Hundreds of job opportunities are available to you to take.
Hundreds more will emerge in years to come. Help the country to meet the requirements of doctors, specialists and researchers, which in turn needs teachers," he told graduates, while delivering his address at the 26th convocation of Sri Ramachandra University here.
The NITI Aayog member also praised Tamil Nadu government for increasing life expectancy of its people. "We have clocked life expectancy of Indians to 68 years. Tamil Nadu has higher life expectancy than the national average with 72 years," he said and presented 83 gold medals to meritorious students and certificates to over 770 students.
"Your salaries as teachers may not be very high, yet enough for your needs, but you would have immense inner satisfaction as you shape the future of India's health profession and the health system," Dr Paul said. He was referring to shortage of staff in medical institutions after the Union Government began the process to set up All India Institute of Medical Sciences in almost all states in the country.
