Rural stint must for medical students

BANGALORE: Rural services will be made mandatory for the medical students after their internships. A Bill in this regard will be tabled at the Assembly in the upcoming Legislature session on March 30, said Minister for Medical Education S A Ramdas.Addressing the crowd at the graduation day celebration of the first batch of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) here on Saturday. The Medical Education Minister  Ramdass said, “The Governor will take a look at the Bill once both the houses pass the it. I request the medical professionals to prepare themselves to serve in the underprivileged areas which are deprived of the medical facilities.” However, there was no response from the doctors when the minister asked for an opinion.He added nearly `275 crore will be spent on upgrading BMCRI on par with AIIMS, of which 20 per cent cost would be sponsored by the state government. The number of seats for the graduate and post graduate medical courses would be increased from 147 to 233 in the next academic session. “BMCRI will also introduce new courses like hand surgery, hospital management and many more for which there is proposal  of `274 crore,” said the Dean and director of BMCRI O S Siddappa.Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya Dr Devi Shetty said  medical professionals can serve the society by treating poor who play a pivotal role in enriching their experience. He encouraged the students not to run behind money but to gain their experience by treating the poor.