New Delhi: In the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare gave a detailed presentation of the several measures taken to address the problem of human resources, which was a major constraining factor in expanding access to health care services in the country.

The minister stated that, "While extensive relaxation of norms governing requirement for land, infrastructure, teachers-students ratio etc., would enable expansion of medical colleges, changing the student-teacher ratio for specialists on lines prevalent in the western countries will now enable us to increase the number of specialists being produced by 5,000 per year."

Azad dwelt at length on the extremely critical step taken to alleviate the problem of access to qualified health personnel in remote rural villages under which students will be made to undergo 3-3 ½ year degree course on health care which will enable them to diagnose and treat minor ailments that account for over 80 percent of morbidity.

The scheme envisages these health professionals to work only in the sub sub-centres located for every 5,000 to 8000 population in rural areas and would be trained only for providing medical treatment for minor ailments.

All the Members of Parliament present in the consultative committee unanimously complimented the Minister for taking this bold initiative.

They expressed their confidence in the measure being proposed and stated that it would make a very substantial impact on the challenging issue of providing access to credible health care services in rural areas which in many parts of the country have yet to see the face of an MBBS doctor.