The COVID-19 crisis stripped open the weaknesses and the faults in the Indian Healthcare system. In the beginning, when the coronavirus struck the world, Indian government had taken the necessary tasks to control the damage. But as the pandemic hit the rural areas and community health transmission began on a large scale, many inadequacies of the health system became visible. While we are facing this pandemic, the realization that our country needs a robust and efficient public health system has dawned upon the healthcare community and the government.
The field of medicine and healthcare is rapidly evolving with different researches, studies and treatments ongoing in every part of the world. So the Indian Medical Association (IMA) feels that there is an urgent need to bring about a drastic change in the health administration of the country and improvising it to become more comprehensive and reliable. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for the creation of an All-India medical services (AIMS) in line with IAS, IPS and IFS in order to bring about a radical shift in the healthcare sector.
The All-India medical services will be responsible for the administration of the district medical officer, project officers of various disease control projects, and the different levels of secretaries in the Union health ministry and state health departments, as well as heads of all other health sector fields. MBBS should be the required qualification to sit for the All-India Medical Services(AIMS) exam. An AIMS would put the health system levers in the hands of those who have basic medicine skills (MBBS let’s suppose) and are then educated in the administrative and managerial aspects, with a specific emphasis on issues relating to the management of health systems.They can start their careers from the hinterland (like an IAS officer who begins as a Sub Divisional Magistrate) and then as they gain experience, eventually be promoted higher up in the ladder at the state or central level, right up to the MoHFW Secretary. This also addresses the pressing problem of shortage of doctors in rural areas compared to urban areas to a large extent.
One particular thing that discourages doctors from taking up rural assignments is the perceived lack of opportunities for development in their professions. An AIMS will solve the problem and encourage young and talented physicians to begin their careers in the most distant and un-reserved areas and then once they rise through the ranks and become responsible for laying out the further path for healthcare of the country as a whole, they can put the experience gained from the field to use.
