Perception of young doctors towards service to rural population in Bihar

With the launch of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), rural health is being given more attention than ever before but health of the rural population is still in the hands of handful of qualified doctors. To know the willingness of young doctors to serve rural population and factors associated with their decision, 176 participants (101 students and 75 interns) of a medical college of Bihar were interviewed during the period July 2005 to December 2006. Only 9.1% participants showed their willingness to serve in rural area despite the fact that 38.6% of them had a rural background, parent(s) of 19.9% had rural occupation and 30.1% subjects had their primary schooling in villages. Rural background (X2 = 22.54, df = 1, p < 0.001) and primary schooling in villages (p = 0.004) were found to be associated significantly with those willing to serve rural population. Whereas land and house property in village (87.5%), village located near towns (81.2%), less competition (62.5%) and need for a job (56.2%) were prime factors in willing medicos, poor living conditions in rural area and lack of professional future (96%), priority for postgraduation (90.6%) and tough working conditions (89.4%) were found to be main factors for reluctance. No significant difference (X2 = 0.929, df = 1, p = 0.335) was seen in the perception of students and interns. Willingness in young doctors to serve rural population is dismal in the present situation. To make them work for rural health, effective efforts to redress all the factors are urgently needed.