BENGALURU: The compulsory rural service for medical students will be implemented from this year itself, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said.
A monthly stipend of Rs 38,000 and Rs 42,000 will be paid for MBBS and PG doctors, respectively during the period of rural service, Khader told reporters here on Friday.
The state government had issued an order in this regard in June itself and has notified rules for making rural service mandatory for MMBS graduates who have studied in state-run colleges and government-quota students in private medical colleges.
With this, nearly 2,500 MBBS graduates will be available for rural service and will be deployed at the primary health centres (PHCs), he said.
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has been designated as the nodal agency for conducting counselling for rural service. Counselling will be held twice a year.
Doctors, who have enrolled for a PG course have to do rural service after their studies, the Health Minister further added.