Union Health Ministry has reaffirmed that the proposed rural medical course, notwithstanding the reservations in certain sectors, would be launched soon to meet the shortage of doctors in the rural areas.

The Ministry said the proposal for the 3½ year rural health care course tentatively called Bachelor of Rural Health Care (BRHC) is now under the examination by the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare and also by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

“Once the report from these bodies come, we will go ahead with the proposal that has been framed after taking into consideration views of various stakeholders including States,” sources said.

The purpose of the proposed course is to generate a cadre of health care providers who by the virtue of the way they are chosen, trained, deployed and supported would be motivated to live in and provide comprehensive primary health care in the rural areas at the sub-centre level, sources said.

“Though the proposal was prepared in consultation with Medical Council of India (MCI), a few associations like Indian Medical Association (IMA) have not welcomed the proposal. Nonetheless, in order to address the serious concern of availability of human resources in health sector in rural areas, the government is committed to introduce the course, with inbuilt safeguards,” a senior official of the Ministry said.

The proposal has been put on hold for some time now after many professional bodies raised objections. The MCI has already prepared the syllabus for the course and submitted to the Health Ministry. The MCI, on direction from the Ministry, had also held consultations with the stakeholders.