After a decade of debate the Indian government has signalled its intention to introduce a new medical education programme to train rural healthcare providers for village health centres where doctors are unavailable.

The Medical Council of India, in consultation with the country’s health ministry, last week released an outline of an alternative model of medical education that would be open only to students who have completed all their school education in villages. Graduates from the programme would be allowed to practise medicine only in rural areas and would be prohibited from offering services in urban areas.

The proposed four year bachelor of rural health care course will involve lessons in clinical examination, medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, surgery, epidemiology, and public health. It would be of shorter …