Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) will not permit the commencement of the course B.Sc in Community Health because the syllabus is seen to be inadequate to practice medicine even in rural areas in the absence of a qualified MBBS doctors.

Even the Manipal University, which has a globally recognised medical, paramedical and nursing undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral offering has not firmed up any plans to offer the B.Sc Community Health course.

Karnataka is the first state in the country to table the 'Karnataka Compulsory Service Training by Candidates Completed Medical Course Bill 2012’ which made rural service compulsory for medical graduates armed with MBBS degree to seek admission for the post graduate courses. MBBS students who refuse to oblige would be banned for permanent doctor registration, pay fines of Rs.15 lakh if they are MBBS doctors, Rs.20 lakh for the PG diploma-holders and Rs.25 lakh for PG doctors, stated Karnataka medical education minister Sharanprakash Patil.

It was in November 2013, the UPA-II led government permitted the formation of a specialised cadre of health care workers for rural areas by instituting a three-year-course in State universities, known as the Bachelor of Science or BSc in Community Health. The B.Sc Community Health curriculum was prepared by the National Board of Examination (NBE) and was not approved by Medical Council of India because it did not qualify as a total medical course. Moreover MCI saw dangers in rural patient care administered by such candidates, stated sources.

It is gathered from the Karnataka medical education department that a Parliamentary Standing Committee had abandoned the government’s proposal for a BSc in Rural Health Care’ or Rural Medicine and Surgery. The options before the government were to strictly mandate rural posting for MBBS interns, increase the number of seats in nursing colleges and offer employment to the nursing graduates and postgraduates. The panel had also proposed to hire Ayush doctors to man dedicated Indian systems of medicine counters at many of the primary health centres. In fact, B.Sc in Community Health is re-christened version of the B.Sc in Rural Health Care’, informed RGUHS.

The objective of the government was to create a cadre of Community Health Officers who will be posted at sub-centres, functioning under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, where they can provide basic health care. The candidates are seen to compete directly with qualified paramedics who are seeking opening in rural service among other corporate and private healthcare facilities. But the government of Karnataka despite its serious shortfall of doctors has no intention to start this course as it sees duplication of subjects, stated officials from state medical education department.

The former government planned to commence B.Sc Community Health course from the academic year 2014-2015. However, it is gathered that some southern state governments may start offering B.Sc in Community Health this academic year but Karnataka had not planned for this. With the new BJP government, there are bound to be changes to this offering and the course might not see the light of the day said the Karnataka medical education department.