New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the retirement age for government doctors will be increased from the current 62 to 65.

Addressing a rally in Saharanpur to launch the celebrations for the second anniversary for the NDA government, PM Modi said the country is facing a huge shortage of doctors – a situation that would not have happened if there were enough medical colleges in the country.

Since it was impossible to create a doctor in two years, the government was going for another option.

“Today I want to announce from the soil of Uttar Pradesh, that the retirement age for government doctors, which is 60 or 62 in some places, will be made 65 all over the country,” PM Modi said.

The doctor patient ratio in India is abysmal, especially in rural parts of the country, where few doctors opt to practice. The National Urban Health Mission, which establishes a partnership with private hospitals to rope in more doctors for quality healthcare, is still in its infancy.

In view of the people’s plight under the circumstances, PM Modi also appealed to the doctors to give one a month and treat pregnant women from economically backward classes for free.

The day, he said, could be the 9th of every month. “If they give 12 days out of 12 months to them, this will help poor mothers a lot,” the Prime Minister added.