Will have to go for policy changes to meet shortage of doctors: JP Nadda

Admitting shortage of doctors across the country, government on Tuesday said it is working on easing the policy norms for starting medical colleges and increasing seats to address this problem.

During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Health Minister JP Nadda said the number of medical colleges in the government sector was being increased so that the shortfall of medical professionals can be met. Addressing the shortage of doctors cannot be done "overnight" and for this "we will have to go for policy changes," he said. "We have reduced space requirement for opening medical colleges," Nadda said adding that norms were being looked at so that hospitals in towns can also start colleges.

Regulations in this regard are coming, the health minister said, adding that the specifications regarding staff required in medical colleges were also being eased. Nadda said the government was working on increasing Post Graduate seats, besides opening more medical colleges to produce more MBBS doctors. Earlier Congress member Viplove Thakur had asked the Health Minister about a medical college in Himachal Pradesh where super-speciality services could not be provided to patients due to non-availability of specialist doctors.

In his reply, Nadda said that providing super-speciality doctors in a particular medical college was the responsibility of the state government.