New Delhi: The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad has exhorted young doctors to take advantage of new measures for incentivizing rural services by doctors.

Speaking at the 94th annual day and convocation of Lady Harding Medical College here, Azad pointed out that by simply rationalizing the teacher student ratio from 1:1 to 1:2 additional 2800 post graduate seats will be added to the system from this academic year itself.

"I invite the young graduating doctors and specialists to join hands with the government and come forward to serve in the rural areas where the real India lives," exhorted Azad.

He emphasised that some options like generating the rural health manpower, distance learning, family medicine courses and a rural health cadre are required for scaling up the health resources in rural areas to desired levels.

He assured doctors that they would not get frustrated as the government is making the primary health care system fully functional in terms of buildings, equipments, medicines, diagnostics and human resources.

The minister outlined various reforms in medical education such as rationalization of land requirement, teacher student ratio, upgradation of state government medical colleges and additional weightage to be given in post graduate entrance examination for years devoted to rural services.

The minister also told the gathering about Rs.387 crore re-development plan of the institution. The strength of the under graduate seats would also be increased from 127 to 200 and post graduate from 70 to 130.

"The revamping would be done in the next two years time," Azad said.