Kolkata, May 12 (). West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s proposal to introduce a three-year diploma in medicine may result in a glut of private institutions offering diploma courses without adequate infrastructure and qualified faculty. This apprehension has been expressed by the medical fraternity of the state.
According to Dr. Tithankar Guha Thakurta, a faculty-member at KPC Medical College and Hospital, there are already examples of private nursing colleges mushrooming in West Bengal.
He told , “Even if for the sake of argument I agree that the proposed three-year diploma in medicine will solve the problem of shortage of adequate doctors in primary health centers in rural areas of West Bengal, the quality training of these diploma doctors is not enough.” The question remains about Who will be the teaching faculty in the Institutes awarding Diploma in Medicine? Who will guarantee the quality of education and training in these institutions? That is why I am personally suspicious of such institutions.
Renowned general medicine doctor of the city Arindam Biswas said that he is strongly against this proposal of diploma doctors on two grounds.
Speaking to , Dr. Biswas said, first of all, it is a small and short-term solution to address the problem in the critical healthcare sector, where there is no guarantee of quality education and training. Second, why choose Primary Health Centers only in rural West Bengal. this experiment? This is a clear case of discrimination between rural and urban healthcare systems.
He said, which would be the authorized body, which would ensure the quality of education in the institutes running such diploma courses in medicine. During the previous Left Front regime also there was a similar proposal which was rejected.
Renowned maxillofacial surgeon of the city Dr. Srijan Mukherjee told that the introduction of this diploma course in medicine is possible only when there is a robust system of checks and balances.
Firstly, only candidates who have completed higher secondary in science stream with 60 per cent marks will be eligible to get admission in such diploma courses, Mukherjee said. Secondly, there should be an appropriate body which would be responsible for providing recognition to the institutions offering such diploma courses. Lastly, certain areas of treatment should be restricted to such diploma doctors and there should be a proper monitoring system so that they do not cross the line under any circumstances. Now the question is whether it is appropriate to ensure all these conditions. systems and infrastructure.
Medical Administrator Deepak Sarkar said that he smells a similar scam in the field of medical diplomas, which is mushrooming in the case of B.Ed.
He said, I do not know what will happen to the patients in the hands of diploma doctors. But of course the institutes offering such diplomas will be another means of making money for the vested interest groups.
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