BDS to MBBS Bridge Course: Niti Aayog proposes to solve

There is a severe shortage of doctors in India, short of nearly 500,000 doctors, based on WHO norm. In an attempt made to solve the issue of the shortage of family medicine doctors in the country, Niti Aayog has proposed BDS to MBBS Bridge Course. The current population in India is about 134 crores, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a total 10,22,859 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils or Medical Council of India as on March 31 this year.

A meeting in regards to the proposal was conducted by Niti Aayog at the Prime minister’s office on April 9, to scaling up the medical education in India & to reduce the shortage of doctors. Another meeting to further discuss the feasibility of the same issue is scheduled to be conducted on Monday, April 22, 2019. The proposal is being examined has been considering such a bridge course since 2016 by the think tank and the Union Health Ministry. It is a proposal but yet finalized if it is passed then after the completion of the course, Dentists will be allowed to practice family medicine. Last year Niti Aayog proposed a similar bridge course for practitioners of alternative medicine & nurse. The proposal, however, was opposed.

The real facts, reports & stories:

India is short of nearly 500,000 doctors, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) norm of 1:1,000 population, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of government data. India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard. The doctor-patient population ratio in India is 1:1,674, even worse than Vietnam, Algeria, and Pakistan – the shortage of doctors was one of the causes of health-management failures in India. A report by WHO in 2016 says to reach the Chinese level of density of doctors we would need an additional 700000 doctors. Many individuals claiming to be doctors in their occupation did not have the requisite professional qualifications. Almost one-third of those calling themselves doctors were educated only up to secondary school. The lack of medical qualifications was particularly high in rural areas.

The doctor-population ratio of some of the countries are: Australia – 3.374:1000, Brazil – 1.852:1000, China – 1.49:1000, France – 3.227:1000, Germany – 4.125:1000, Russia – 3.306:1000, USA – 2.554:1000, Pakistan – 0.806:1000, India- 0.62:1000,  Afghanistan – 0.304:1000, Bangladesh – 0.389:1000

Why BDS to MBBS Bridge Course is proposed?

• The dental courses in the country follow near to the same training and curriculum as the MBBS courses for the first three years.
• BDS doctors have a good knowledge of pharmacology allopath medicines, pathogens & diseases.
• If BDS to MBBS Bridge Course is proposed, through that after completing the bridge Course BDS doctors will read the same MBBS subjects & syllabus, and with that they will be trained like MBBS.
• After completion of the course, Dentists will be allowed to practice family medicine & the shortage of family medicine doctors will be resolved; patients will get medical services easily from a medical practitioner & social health conditions will be improved.
• The report says many individuals claim as doctors who are practicing in our country in their occupation but they did not have the requisite professional qualifications & almost one-third of those calling themselves doctors were educated only up to secondary school.
  If BDS to MBBS Bridge Course will start then patients can get treatment from qualified doctors & it may help to improve social health.

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References:

1. Population in India
2. The density of physicians- the World Health Organization(WHO)
3. The health workforce in India – World Health Organization
4. Less than one doctor for 1000 population in India: Government to Lok Sabha