CHENNAI: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the Central and State governments must make it mandatory that doctors should serve in rural areas.
Speaking at the inauguration of a children's hospital here, he said medicine was one of the important needs of the country.
He said the doctors, who get posted, after working for some time, should also work in rural areas before getting their first promotion.
''Only after serving in rural areas, they should get the first promotion. This should be mandatory'', Mr Venkaiah said.
''This is the weakness of our system (doctors not serving in rural areas) in our country'', he said, adding, the central and state governments should make doctors serving in rural areas mandatory.
He also said people come from rural areas and become doctors.
But they do not go back to serve the rural populace.
So, the Central and State governments must make a rule, making mandatory, doctors serving in rural areas, before they get their first promotion, the Vice President said.