Need to create a separate cadre for health sector on lines of IAS, IPS

For quite some time, there were clamors from different quarters to formulate a separate cadre of Indian Medical Services (IMS) on the lines of All India civil services such as Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS). The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) have long been demanding for setting up such an exclusive service to bring about a drastic change in the healthcare sector in the country.

Besides, as early as in 1961, the Mudaliar Committee in its report had also recommended to the government for the formation of a central healthcare cadre. As per the recommendation of the doctors' associations such as IMA and FORDA, the IMS will be responsible for holding the administrative responsibilities pertaining to the district medical officers, project officers of various disease control programmes, and the various ranks of secretaries in the Union health ministry and the state health departments and the heads of all other areas in the health sector. Basic qualification to be eligible for the IMS examination should be MBBS, and the exams can be conducted like other UPSC exams. Terms of service conditions, posting, recruitment, and other criteria can be similar to those applicable to the IAS and IPS.

Echoing the demands of the IMA and FORDA, the Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the Union Health Ministry had last year joined the bandwagon of country's doctors calling for the creation of IMS on the lines of all India civil services such as IAS, IPS and IFS. Appreciating and recognising the role of doctors as corona warriors in combating Covid-19, the Parliamentary panel headed by Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Verma in its report tabled in Parliament noted that creation of such a cadre would be handy for the implementation of various flagship programs of the government related to health. The panel noted that the moment is the golden opportunity to explore the possibility of organizing IMS as it would provide efficient healthcare managers to enhance the success rate of healthcare projects and make policy programs and specific course of action for fighting against lethal diseases.

More recently, former director general of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), Dr PV Appaji, was also on record saying that he is considering making a proposal to the government of India for creating an overarching controlling and regulating administrative cadre mechanism to regulate and control the entire pharma and allied sectors in India on the lines of IAS, IPS and IFS. Dr Appaji, who has decades of experience in enforcement of drug laws, stressed that an administrative cadre, Indian Pharmaceutical Service or IPhS, on the lines of IAS, IFS and IPS, is essential to manage, control and regulate all sectors connected with pharma industry.

In view of the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic that had stressed the need for improving the healthcare infrastructure in the country, the Parliamentary panel's recommendation for a separate cadre for healthcare professionals holds water. The Parliamentary panel's views are in consonance with IMA and FORDA which have long been demanding for setting up such an exclusive Service to bring about a drastic change in the healthcare sector. It is not that the government is not seized of the issue. In fact, successive governments have looked at this issue, but there has not been much progress on this front so far.

In the year 2017, the Central government had expressed its interest in creating the Indian Medical Service on the lines of IAS and IPS. Following this, the health ministry had sent a circular to the states asking for their views on such a move. However, even after years, no further action has been taken with regard to the formation. Now, the challenges driven by the Covid-19 pandemic has reinvigorated the demand from the medical fraternity for the creation of a separate cadre of Indian Medical Service. It is true that the creation of the IMS cadre has become more relevant in the times of coronavirus pandemic, whereby doctors from various specialities can devise effective strategies for controlling the epidemic and improving the overall healthcare system in the future. Covid has exposed the lack of coordination and collaboration between the public and private sector in view of the inadequacy of health facilities. Under this background, creation of separate cadre like IMS could be a game-changer.

(The author is a freelance journalist with varied experience in different fields)