Dr Jana was in the city to launch a distance education programme — Post-Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine. He said the lack of access to modern technology and research force the general physicians to refer even simple cases to private hospitals.

“The diploma course we have introduced is an attempt to upgrade the skills of the general physicians and to enable them to handle more cases,” he said.

Ten hospitals have been selected around the country where this two-year programme will be introduced. The Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre in Kolkata are among them.

In Kolkata, out of 37 applicants for the course, 25 have been selected from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Mizoram. The course curriculum consists of 75 modules and three 10-day contact classes in Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre each year.

The Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore receives a minimum of 25,000 patients every week, one-third of these are from Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Bangladesh. According to Dr Jana: “Many of these patients have diseases that are easy to cure but their doctors still referred them to the hospital. When they come to us they have poor financial condition as by that time they spend everything while trying to get effective treatment.”

CMC plans to gradually take these programmes to the remote corners of the country. Sanjay Prasad, CEO of Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre said: “70-75 per cent of the patients who go to South India for treatment belong to Tier II and Tier III economic categories. This course will generate enough skilled doctors to treat these weaker sections in their hometowns.”

Dr Jana stated: “It is extremely distressing to see people spend money on hospitals in South India rather than seek medical help in West Bengal itself.”