Karnataka Health Minister Proposes to Exempts Medical Graduates from Rural Service

Belagavi: Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday introduced the amendment for the Karnataka Compulsory Service by Candidates Completed Medical Courses Act, 2012. This amendment will exempt candidates who have completed medical courses from compulsory rural service.

The proposed amendment involves replacing the phrase 'one year of compulsory rural service' with 'in existing vacancies as specified by the state government.' This amendment is designed to enable the health department to utilize the compulsory services of doctors only for the vacant posts.

Initially, the Act was implemented due to a shortage of medical professionals in government hospitals. As per the previous policy, graduates of medical courses were obliged to serve in government hospitals for one year to obtain a certificate. However, with an increasing number of students earning master's degrees in medicine and MBBS, the government has decided to limit the mandatory one-year service of doctors to available vacancies.

The state government retains the authority to determine the stipend for medical students engaged in compulsory service. The amendment bill also outlines an exemption from compulsory rural service for candidates chosen for central or state government positions.

More than 3,000 medical students had registered for the one-year compulsory rural service. However, the number of vacancies is 1,900 and through the amendment, the mandatory service will be restricted to vacant posts.