Pranav Gupta

India has undoubtedly emerged as a frontrunner, with one of the largest social health systems in the world in addition to outstanding research and development facilities. However, the country faces certain shortcomings in a variety of healthcare-related issues, including manpower imbalance, excessive costs, a dearth of doctors and competent employees, to name just a few. Pranav Gupta Ashoka University Founder highlights, “The strengthening of healthcare infrastructure all over the country will result in the presence of medical facilities and doctors in emergency times. It will also provide accessibility of doctors in remote locations. Following the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government is pursuing a number of actions to further advance the nation’s medical infrastructure and expand the availability of doctors.”

According to recent reports, India has a roughly 1:854 doctor-to-population ratio, i.e. one doctor for every 854 individuals. This has sparked a surge in demand to increase accessibility to medical education, leading the government to respond and actively develop new cutting-edge medical institutions and facilities around the nation along with providing additional seats for students who want to pursue medical education.

In the past decade, India’s medical colleges have developed at an average rate of 5.1% from 2011 to 2021. According to data provided by the Health Ministry, the number of government medical seats has expanded by 155% over the past ten years, while the number of seats in private colleges has climbed by 97%. The government has passed the National Commission for Allied Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act 2021. A committee has been established in accordance with the NCAHP Act 2021’s requirements to increase the number of medical seats around the nation. Additionally, a government-sponsored programme has been put in place to upgrade the current hospitals while also establishing new medical schools.

“India must become a centre for medical education. More medical seats are coming up nationwide thanks to the growth of medical colleges. Since there are more students pursuing careers in medicine every year, the government’s programmes should work well to accommodate all the students. It shouldn’t be necessary for students who want to study medicine to travel to nations like China or Ukraine. Thousands of Indian students flock to these countries to earn their degrees at a relatively lower cost than their own country. We need to be able to meet the demands of our own people by giving them overall scope and accessibility in addition to more seats,” opines, Pranav Gupta Ashoka University Founder.

Many nations have over the years been a well-liked choice for Indians looking to pursue MBBS degrees because of their comparatively affordable medical education, simple admissions procedures, and abundance of private brokers aggressively seeking out students with attractive offers. More than 18, 00,000 students registered for the all India NEET test this year to begin their medical careers, but just roughly 56% of them were successful. For the vast majority of students, following an MBBS programme in India is a pipe dream due to the lack of seats available in the country, which totals less than 1, 00,000. Due to the intense competition and limited availability of seats at government medical schools with low fees, even those with merit struggle to pay the tuition for private medical institutions. These less privileged students often look for possibilities overseas to pursue their goals of becoming doctors or just give up on their dreams.

Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced Hindi texts for anatomy, physiology and biochemistry for first-year MBBS students. PM Narendra Modi claimed that despite being a communication tool, English is seen as a test of intellectual prowess. In order to promote Indian languages in the educational system and promote medical education among students from all communities, it was decided to introduce Hindi in medical education field.

He said that thousands of individuals would be able to learn in their own language and numerous new possibilities would become available to them. This decision has led to several criticisms along with positive reactions. According to proponents of English-based education, the language is most commonly used in research and medicine and is crucial for continuing medical education. The advocates of mother-tongue-based medical education, on the other hand, regard it as a strategy to promote communication and bridge the communication gap.

“The key issue here is how we are implementing the adjustment in later training phases, as medical education encompasses more than simply MBBS. The globalization of healthcare has made medical education a transnational undertaking, calling for increased international cooperation. Most published research and knowledge in the biomedical sector is written in English.

The main challenge would be to find adequate professors to teach in the regional languages, academic texts in these languages, and the acceptance of the professionals in hospitals and private sector, which has traditionally been mostly English-focused. Although the proper implementation needs to be seen, it is a welcome step to finally pay attention to local languages. The medical field holds the highest regard and esteem. Immense potential exists in India’s medical education field and to make the journey easier, the difficulties faced by medical aspirants in India should be addressed in every aspect,” concludes Pranav Gupta, Founder Ashoka University.

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Andrew has been in the online publishing industry. After receiving his degree in professional journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, he contributed to multiple websites as a freelance writer and feature editor. Mostly, Andrew tackles controversies and theories that lead to a specific conclusion that either debunk or justify a particular claim. Further, Andrew participates in social developments that aim to simplify every individual's way of life and fight for peace. He is the new Editor-in-Chief of Pressroom Today.

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