Check out salient features of the New Rural Medical Education Bill

Further referring to the high tuition fees of medical courses, the bill stated, "Hence, the need is to provide medical seats free of cost to needy candidates from rural districts in India, on the condition that they will practice and provide care to people in their home district for a minimum duration of time failing which there will be strict penalties imposed. This is owing to the extremely high tuition fees of medical courses, which often dissuade many needy rural candidates from pursuing medicine."

"The present Bill not only seeks to solve the shortage of healthcare personnel in medical areas but also extends to facilitate the inclusion of needy, marginalized communities into our health workforce. With this comes the added benefit of receiving healthcare from doctors from one's own community and area, who are more likely to understand its intricacies and context," it mentioned.

The salient features of this new bill are as follows:

"3. (1) The appropriate Government shall, within one and a half years from coming into force of this Act, conduct a survey to assess the shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas of the country. (2) The survey conducted under sub-section (1) shall be made available to the public in such manner as may be prescribed. 4. (1) The appropriate Government shall, based on a survey conducted under sub-section (1) of section 3, calculate the number of medical seats required for rural areas and designate it as the rural quota.

(2) The appropriate Government shall bear the entire expenditure to be incurred on providing medical degree to every rural candidate under the rural quota including:—

(a) tuition fee for MBBS degree along with any other postgraduate or super-specialty in any disciplines of medical sciences;

(b) the cost of lodging or boarding during the time of degree as mentioned under clause (a);

(c) such amount as monthly allowance for necessities as may be prescribed; and

(d) travel allowance as may be prescribed.

(3) The appropriate Government shall, based on the number of medical seats required for rural areas under sub-section (1), take measures to fill such seats as early as possible in such a manner as may be prescribed.

(4) The appropriate Government shall ensure that the selection of medical seats under sub-section (3) takes every year.

5. No rural candidate shall be eligible to be selected for the rural quota medical seats calculated under sub-section (1) of section 4 unless—

(a) he has obtained qualified marks as per National Eligibility-cumEntrance Tests administered by the appropriate Government, and

(b) declared successful in the selection interview by the Board.

6. Notwithstanding anything in this Act, the appropriate Government shall provide reservation in Medical institutions to rural candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and the Other Backward Classes in such manner as may be prescribed.

7. Every candidate selected under the rural quota under section 4 shall comply with such set of rules and conditions, as may be prescribed, including,—

(a) the completion of the medical degree with satisfactory results;

(b) signing of an employment contract or bond for obligatory service with the appropriate Government in rural areas.

8. Every candidate selected under the rural quota shall sign an employment contract or bond with the appropriate Government on the terms:—

(a) on completion of his medical degree he shall serve in the district to which he belongs for a minimum period of six years;

(b) if he fails to comply with the term as mentioned under clause (a) or the rules framed under section 7, he shall be liable for cancellation of license to practice and also shall be liable to a fine equivalent to the entire expenditure incurred on his medical education."

Apart from these, the bill also proposes that the "Central Government, shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a Board to be known as the National Board for Rural Medical Education for carrying out the purpose of this Act." This National Board shall include a representative each from the Union Ministry of Finance, Health and Family Welfare and Rural Development, one member each representing Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, three eminent female members, and a transgender member from the medical field. The purpose of the Board will be to oversee-

(a) selection of candidates under rural quota;

(b) setting rules for candidates for selection under rural quota;

(c) setting the limit on the amount of miscellaneous expenditure on candidates;

(d) the compliance of rules by candidates under the rural quota;

(e) taking appropriate action against defaulting candidates selected under rural quota; and

(f) any other functions as it deem necessary for carrying out the performance of this Act.