The government has to curb commercialisation of medical education and ensure quality education and healthcare, says Ramesh Chandra Deka, former Director and Chief Executive Officer of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.
Dr. Deka, presently the Vice-Chancellor of the Assam Down Town University in Guwahati, told The Hindu on Sunday that people were under the impression that the Medical Council of India used to send persons of questionable integrity for periodic inspections to private medical colleges across the country. Concern was expressed over bribery too. The government should clear all apprehensions of the public by ensuring transparency in the matter, he said.
Medical education in India had become a costly affair, especially in the private sector, because of the hefty costs incurred on the smooth running of the institutions. Commercialisation of medical education would continue if the government failed to act prudently, he said.
Dr. Deka further called for strict enforcement of the laws to stop unethical medical practice.
Medicine was considered the noblest of all professions because it dealt with lives of people. The standard of medical education should be strictly regulated and updated, considering the sensitive nature of the profession where even minor mistakes could have serious repercussions. He stressed the need for developing a compassionate doctor-patient relationship.
Research was the backbone of medicine and the government should inculcate research culture among medical students. Dr. Deka said advances in science and technology had changed the face of medical practice. Modern times demanded that a doctor adapt to the new technology and learn more in the areas of imaging and technology platform-based diagnostic methods, newer pharmacogenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and stem cell implantation.
He said maintenance of quality of teaching hospitals was a big challenge. Because of dearth of medical teachers, doctors were not being trained properly, he added.
Dr. Deka was in Kerala to inaugurate the MBBS convocation at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi on Monday.
