CM Kejriwal at inauguration of medical college: ‘Our govt fastest, will set up 1,000 mohalla clinics soon’

Stating that 1,000 mohalla clinics will be opened by the end of the year, Kejriwal said this was evidence that the AAP government was the “fastest government” in the country. “As many as 100 mohalla clinics have come up in the past one year, which is more than the number of dispensaries that were built in the last 60 years. Also, 1,000 more clinics will be ready in the next six months,” he said.

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Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, “India’s medical education system needs to be reinvigorated”. He also hit out at the Medical Council of India (MCI) and said it was the “biggest roadblock to medical education”.

“The MCI’s job is not to approve anything but to create obstacles. For private colleges, they will clear everything but they trouble government colleges,” claimed Jain.

He said the council should have different norms for private and government medical colleges, and should allow government colleges to enroll double the number of students.

“In private colleges, one professor is registered in 10 hospitals. They have no faculty. The number of patients doctors see is very less. However, in a 500-bed government hospital, at least 1,000 patients will be admitted and at least 5,000-7,000 patients will come to the OPDs. Hence, the MCI should allow government medical colleges to take double the number of students as private colleges,” said Jain.

He also suggested that the MCI consider reducing the undergraduate MBBS curriculum to three years from five, and increase the duration of postgraduate degrees in medicine, including MDs, to five years from three. “So if you want to run a business, or enter the government, you can do so after three years instead of five,” said the minister.

Jain also alleged that the paucity of postgraduate seats in medicine compared to graduate seats was an “artificial gap”. “In USA, MD seats are double the MBBS seats. In India, they are less than half. This is because an MD seat costs over Rs 1 crore,” he said.

The minister added that all existing hospitals under the Delhi government are being renovated. “They will be air-conditioned and will look like private hospitals but they will not have any private rooms. From the CM to the poorest patient, everyone will get the same treatment,” he said.