A government bond executed by doctors going to the United States for higher studies (editorial, April 26) will certainly not stop medical professionals from flocking to the U.S. If the government wants doctors to stay here, it should increase their salaries. Many rich politicians are running private medical colleges, making medical education unaffordable. The government should open more medical colleges. More doctors will mean an increase in the existing ratio of six doctors per 10,000 people.
N. R. Ramachandran,
Udhagamandalam
The idea of a government bond may be good to remind doctors of their obligation to those who subsidise their studies but it is narrow and reactionary in nature. Singapore gets bonds signed by locals and foreigners who benefit from its education system to ensure that they spend some time working in the country. India, too, should extract a similar bond from all graduates and post-graduates who study in subsidised institutions such as the IITs, the IIMs, the NITs and others. It needs the services of not only doctors but also engineers and managers.
S. Santhanakrishnan,
Bangalore
Keywords: Health Ministry, Ghulam Nabi Azad, medical education