THANVEER AHMED Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Though India has developed and modified the health care in rural by founding/constituting Primary Health Centres (PHCs), many of them are without Doctors or manned by nurses and paramedical staff or with one Doctor and paramedical staff. From these PHCs, patients are referred to District Headquarters Hospitals, which are supposed to have all facilities required for managing at least 90%.

(2.) Many villages do not even have a PHC. Even after seventy years of independence, the Doctors do not want to go to villages and several methods are being tried by the Government to woo/and encourage the Doctors to serve in those remote/difficult areas, but all in vain. Though the number of PHCs are in the increase consistently, a considerable percentage of PHCs do not have Doctors.

(3.) Getting an admission in Government Medical College is an Himalayan challenge. Like any other profession, a busy practice and an affluent life would be the dream of every medical student. Therefore, the rural practice is also becoming remote, especially in India, where, we have our own native medicines like Siddha, Ayurvedha and Naturopathy. If a Doctor is not trained to treat the diseases that may affect a large part of the rural community, he/she is unlikely to find any interest in managing these diseases. In a forest area, cases of reptile bites, stings by poisonous insects are common. A Doctor should be able to handle and treat the situation. Malnutrition in pregnant women in villages is another challenge in rural areas. Unless the said subjects are also included in the curriculum, a student/Doctor will not be interested in going to rural areas.