Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has assured that the Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery (BRMS) course would provide a community based solution to the public health and would not compromise the quality of rural healthcare. He was addressing a two-day workshop on BRMS here on Thursday.

“We are not replacing the specialist or MBBS doctors by introducing a new cadre of rural doctors. These doctors will primarily serve at the 1.45 lakh sub-centres in the country which are at present manned by the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM),” said Azad during the inauguration.

The workshop, 'Alternative Models on Undergraduate Medical Education' will discuss the curriculum and the conceptual framework of the course. It is attended by vice-chancellors of medical universities, state health officials and medical professors.

The government intends to start BRMS course soon. The course is designed for three-and-a-half years which will be offered at the medical colleges set up at the district hospitals. Students from the rural areas with science as the main subject in high school will be considered and they will be selected on merit basis. The BRMS graduates will serve at the sub-centres and may assist MBBS doctors at the primary health centres.