In a bid to shore up health facilities in rural areas, the govt has said doctors and medical practitioners working in such areas would be given significantly higher incentives “sometimes even double” than their counterparts in urban localities.

Revealing the 100-day plan of his ministry, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Glum Nabi Azad said, though the UPA Government’s flagship National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) had done well in the last five years, there was a need to further improve it.

He blamed the dearth of medical manpower in rural areas for lack of proper health facilities and said, “In the next three months, the Ministry in consultation with state Governments will identify difficult, most difficult and inaccessible areas particularly in hilly states, North Eastern states and tribal areas in other states.”

After having identified these areas, the ministry will help these state governments in filling up deficiencies in the strength of doctors and paramedical staff.

“The Ministry, through NR HM will make funds available for contractual appointments and provide significantly higher monetary incentives based on location of posting,” Azad said.

The incentives sometimes maybe double than those availed by the doctors in urban areas.

According to the health minister, these incentives will encourage the medical personnel to brave the difficult conditions in such remote locations and encourage them to serve the poor and needy people at the cutting edge level.