ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Anant BhanSubscribe to Anant Bhan

Whatever NEXT?

The proposal of a National Exit Test as an exit examination for MBBS graduates to ensure a minimum quality standard is desirable in a country with large gaps in healthcare. However, in its current form it could be reduced to just another examination that can be gamed and one that does not ensure basic skills. Sound designing, increased investment in testing infrastructure, and phased planning and implementation are needed to ensure that NEXT serves as a panacea to the lack of standardised medical graduate output in the country.

Jowar Rural Health Insurance Scheme

This article describes the trajectory of moral and social upliftment of villagers in the Sevagram region of Maharashtra that had its roots from the initiation and success of a micro health insurance scheme first introduced to ensure uniform health care to the poor and needy in a Nagpur village. With its increasing acceptance across more villages, the scheme was extended to cover income generation programmes as well as women's self-help groups addressing the village as one social unit for development. At the next stage, the health insurance scheme moved towards action-oriented individuals who could play leadership roles in the community. This empowerment and leadership conferred on select individuals helped initiate the anti-liquor movement in the villages around Sevagram.

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