Tamil Nadu

Ramadoss condemns medicos’ agitation

S. Ramadoss

Tuticorin: PMK founder S. Ramadoss has condemned the medicos for resorting to agitations even before the Samabasiva Rao Committee, appointed by the Centre to look into the issue of ‘compulsory rural service’, had submitted its report.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Dr. Ramadoss said students should remember that they only suggested constituting the committee during a three-hour long meeting of students’ representatives with Union Minister of Health Anbumani recently.

As regards the proposed move to include ‘compulsory rural service’ component in the MBBS curriculum, he said the concept in fact had received tremendous response during the meeting of Health Ministers from States convened in New Delhi recently. “Even the representative of Tamil Nadu did not raise any opposition to the idea.”

According to him, there was an urgent need to focus our attention to provide good quality medical care to people in mofussil areas, considering that about eight per cent of the Primary Health Centres in the country did not have any doctors.

Mr. Ramadoss said the proposed titanium plant at Sattankulam should not be set up against the wishes of local farmers. “The land required for the project should be taken only on a lease from the local people and it should be returned to them once the extraction of mineral was over. Besides, they should be given a share of the profit from the business.”

He said despite seizure of huge quantities of smuggled PDS rice from various parts of Tuticorin district recently, the authorities concerned had ‘succeeded’ in arresting only a few lorry drivers, cleaners and watchmen of godowns. The district administration should disclose the names of people who were behind smuggling and to whom they were selling the commodity.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu