The Central government has made it mandatory for all students pursuing MD or MS to undergo compulsory posting at a district hospital for three months, starting from the 2020-21 academic session.
A gazette notification issued last week noted that “all postgraduate students pursuing MD/MS in broad specialities in all medical colleges/institutions under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 shall undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in District Hospitals/District Health System as a part of the course curriculum.”
It said, “Such rotation shall take place in the 3rd or 4th or 5th semester of the postgraduate programme. This rotation shall be termed as ‘District Residency Programme’ (DRP) and the postgraduate medical student undergoing training shall be termed as a ‘District Resident’.”
The main objectives of the DRP will be to expose postgraduate students to District Health System and involve them in healthcare services being provided at district hospitals for learning while serving, acquaint them with the planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment of outcomes of the national health programmes; and to orient them to promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative services being provided by various categories of healthcare professionals under the umbrella of the National Health Mission, the Ministry explained.
Adding that the PG medical students would also be contributing towards strengthening of services of the District Health System as speciality resident doctors working as members of the district teams.
