Multiskills training of medical doctors in India: Experience from Rajasthan

The Government of India has been conducting multiskills training programmes to address the shortage of specialized human resources in gynaecology and anaesthesia for maternal and child healthcare. There has been little evaluation of the operation of these programmes, though several years have passed since their introduction.

We did a cross-sectional study to assess some aspects of the multiskills training programmes in gynaecology and anaesthesia, and the utilization of human resources trained under this scheme in Rajasthan. The analysis was primarily based on a review of records of postings of doctors obtained from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Rajasthan. Information was also obtained through qualitative interviews with 122 doctors from 14 districts of the state, irrespective of their training status.

In 2012, a total of 302 anaesthetists and 480 gynaecologists were posted in various public health facilities in Rajasthan. Of these, 128 (42%) anaesthetists and 69 (14.4%) gynaecologists had received multiskills training. However, only 57% of trained doctors were posted at health facilities for which they were trained. The acceptance of multiskills training among doctors was found to be low.

Posting and deployment of personnel who had received multiskills training was often inappropriate, leading to suboptimal utilization of the skills acquired during such training and suboptimal delivery of public health services. Accreditation of the multiskills training programmes by regulatory bodies such as the Medical Council of India may improve the acceptance of such training among MBBS doctors and their colleagues. There is a need to review multiskills training programmes.