CHENNAI: The Centre’s proposal to set up an all-India service like IAS and IPS for doctors has met with strong resistance from Tamil Nadu, which is viewing it as an attempt to encroach into what has clearly been demarcated as the States’ prerogative.
In his letter to the chief secretaries of all States, Union health secretary C K Mishra had asked for views on the ministry’s proposal to create an All India Medical Services under the All India Services Act, 1951.
According to the ministry, doctors in the Central Health Service, an Organised Group ‘A’ Service under it dealing with monitoring of various programmes and schemes relating to the health sector, have never worked in the states.
Hence, the official explained, “They do not have the appropriate perspective of the problems being faced by the State governments. Creation of an All India Medical Service may facilitate bridging this gap and improve technical leadership and management both at the Centre and State levels.”
The idea to have an all-India service has been under consideration of the government for quite some time. “Considering the fact that health is a State subject and the major requirement of health professionals is at the State level, it has been decided to solicit the views of all the State governments on this issue,” Mishra added.
The proposal drew flak from the bureaucracy and the activists alike, who allege that it would have no advantage for the public, but instead upset the system now in place in states like Tamil Nadu. “The State will definitely oppose this proposal as a matter of policy. Health being a State subject, any mechanism to institutionalise an all-India coordination will only lead to confusion. Tamil Nadu has a systematic healthcare system,” a senior health department official told Express.
Activists see this as a creeping intrusion into State’s territory, which has come right after the Centre took control of medical education by introducing NEET.
“The Centre has taken control of medical education of all the states. The all-India service proposal is part of the taking over of the healthcare system. The stated objective is fine, but this will help only the administration sector, not for delivering healthcare,” said G R Ravindranath, general secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality.
Such a Central cadre, Indian Medical Service (IMS), existed before Independence, but was abolished in 1947. “It was abolished because healthcare is a State subject,” he said.
Senior officials added that the proposal considered only the welfare of some of the doctors in the Centre and the State.“But individuals’ welfare is not as important as public welfare,” added an official.