Overseas Indian doctors may practice in India

Kochi, Jan 2 (IANS) The central government will allow overseas Indian doctors to practice in the country without undergoing screening tests, an official said here Wednesday.

Union Health Secretary P.K. Pradhan announced the move at the ongoing Global Healthcare Summit here.

"The centre is ready with the bill to amend the Medical Council of India (MCI) Act and allow the overseas Indians to practice in their homeland as demanded by the expatriate professionals for long. This is expected during the budget session of parliament," said Pradhan.

The high-profile forum was attended by the top brass from the industry and government officials.

The central government was planning to improve the secondary care by upgrading district hospitals.

"There is a huge scope for partnership with the private sector in the areas like diagnostic services and labs," he said.

Director General of Health Services Jagadish Prasad urged the private hospitals to reserve 10 percent of services free of cost for the poor under the corporate social responsibility.

The government wanted to cooperate with the private sector in the areas like tele-medicine, besides preventive measures such as screening, community medicine, upgrading secondary and tertiary care, he said.