`Healthcare in rural area through quackery' - is what the Basic Medical Practitioners Course run by the Madhya Pradesh government is proving to be. The one-year course, a brainstorm of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, has attracted a huge crowd of practicing quacks across the state.

After clearing the higher secondary examinations, the candidates become eligible to enroll themselves into the course and later practice medicine in the rural areas. The `doctors' get an opportunity to participate in national health schemes and get support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.

While the government agencies responsible for running the course have entered into a vicious promotion drive, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has remained tightlipped - till yet.

Digvijay Singh had contrived the scheme of spreading health workers across the state under the project, `Village Development via Public Health', in April 2001. The Allopathic course was especially kept open for the Ayurvedic, Unani and Homoeopathic practitioners - who form a major strength of healthcare professionals in the remote areas.

The Jan Swasthya Sewa Samiti was made responsible for running the course across the state with a vision of forming `health workers'. Around 619 trainees had enrolled themselves for the course in this year, out of which 523 have cleared the examinations conducted by the Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal.

According to course director Dr Anand Saxena, the trainees are apprised about the government schemes, diseases rampant in the rural areas, vaccinations, mother and child healthcare, emergency medicine and measures to be taken during the natural calamities. ``The government policy towards promoting self-employment in the field of healthcare is taking shape,'' he said.

The first clinic of one of such trainees, P S Jangade, was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh Minister for Health Bala Bachchan in Gadrakhedi, a slum area on the outskirts of Indore, recently.

Breaking their silence on the propaganda of the Samiti, Dr Rajendra Choubey, President, Indore Chapter of IMA, and Dr Yogesh Johari, in-charge of IMA's Anti-quackery Cell, said efforts are being made to twist the concept behind the course in order to attract crowds. The course is an effort to develop a force of health workers across Madhya Pradesh.

``Nobody can claim to become a practicing doctors after completion of this one-year course,'' they tried to clarify.

Though the IMA has not openly come out against Digvijay Singh's plans, the annoyance is visible. The course allows the trainees to open clinics, examine patients, write prescriptions, decide course of therapy - and get additional government aid.