New Delhi, Sep 17 - In a far-reaching move to improve healthcare services in rural India, doctors who opt to work in rural areas will be compensated with extra money and 'weightage' points that will help them when they apply for higher studies, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced Thursday.

'The only way to attract the attention of doctors to work in difficult, most difficult and inaccessible areas is through incentives. We have requested the states to give us the list under the above categories. We can provide extra money as extra incentive,' Azad told reporters.

He said 22 states has sent their list and they would work it out within this month.

'Assam has already done it,'said Azad while listing out the achievements of his ministry in the past 100 days.

The northeastern state is the first state in the country to have carried out rural postings by appointing 768 doctors. The doctors will get a monthly salary of Rs.25,000, besides free accommodation in their area of posting.

'These arrangements are expected to substantially improve the morale of health service providers who work in remote and inaccessible areas in the country. This would go a long way in ensuring availability of quality health services on equitable and affordable basis in remote parts of the country,' Azad told reporters.

He also said that 'additional weightage' would be given in the post graduate examination at the rate of 10 percent for each year of rural service. 'It will be subject to a maximum of 30 percent extra weightage for three years of rural service.'

He said this service will have to be rendered after the internship period only. 'This service will not only help the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), but also help the MBBS doctors in accumulating extra weightage points for further studies,' he added.

As India faces acute shortage of doctors and paramedics, the government now plans to set up more medical colleges.

Apart from allowing Public Private Partnership for upgrading district hospitals to medical colleges in northeastern states, in hilly terrain and those states where medical colleges are fewer, the rules regarding land requirement have also been relaxed.