Indian state trains health workers

Thousands of students are to be trained to provide primary health care to villagers in one of India's least developed states, Madhya Pradesh.

The state government says it has taken the step because qualified doctors don't want to work in the villages.

Chief Minister Digvijay Singh announced that each of the 51,000 villages in Madhya Pradesh would have a health care worker within 18 months.

He said the students aged 16 to 17 would get six months training and be authorised to practice allopathic, homeopathic and ayurvedic systems of medical science.

They will not be paid a salary - but will be able to claim expenses.

Critics of the scheme accuse the government of reneging on its responsibility of providing quality health care.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service