MP Govt to Pay Extra to Doctors for Improving Healthcare in Tribal Areas

Bhopal: In a bid to provide proper healthcare in 20 tribal-dominated districts of Madhya Pradesh, the Congress government has decided to offer a hefty bonus, free residential quarters and vehicle to medical staff willing to serve in these villages.

According to the new scheme ‘Chief Minister’s Sushen Physicians’ Encouragement Scheme’ a doctor with a salary of Rs 1 lakh per month will get an additional remuneration of Rs 50,000 if he works in an extremely backward tribal area. A doctor working in a backward tribal area will get Rs 40,000 extra. 

A specialist doctor, with a salary of Rs 1.25 lakh working in an extremely backward tribal district will get an additional Rs 75,000 per month. In a backward tribal area, this will be Rs 60,000.

This is an attempt to address the 70% shortage of doctors, paramedics and nurses in tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. The scheme will be applicable to 89 tribal development blocks in the state.

“There are 20 tribal districts, comprising 89 blocks of the state, which will be sorted into ‘backward’ and ‘extremely backward’ areas. The cabinet has decided that a doctor with a salary of Rs 1 lakh per month will get an additional remuneration of Rs 50,000 if s/he works in an extremely backward tribal area. A doctor working in a backward tribal area will get Rs 40,000 extra,” said Health Minister Tulsi Silawat, adding that the scheme will help end the shortage of doctors in tribal areas. 

Posting of Govt Medical Students Mandatory   

According to the new scheme, students of government medical colleges will have to work for a year in rural areas after completion of MBBS and post-graduation, which was earlier optional, Health Minister Silawat said.

“The previous Bharatiya Janata Party government had made a provision that students who did not want to work in rural areas could escape the clause by paying a certain amount of money to the government, but this option no longer exists. Medical students will now have to sign bonds that they will serve for a year in rural Madhya Pradesh after completion of both MBBS and PG,” Silawat said. 

The state cabinet has also given its nod to the MP Healthcare Investment Encouragement Policy, under which it has decided to reduce the minimum number of beds in a hospital from 100 to 30. This is to enable those who want to open small hospitals to get benefits under the policy.

“There is no need for hospitals to have a minimum 100 beds. The cabinet has decided to have hospitals of three categories — 30, 50 and 100-plus beds. This will attract investment in the health sector,” the minister added.