Join Duty or Submit penalty within 15 days: Uttarakhand Govt's ultimatum for bonded doctors

Dehradun: Warning the absent doctors, who were bonded either on contractual or permanent basis, the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare, Uttarakhand has issued an ultimatum asking the doctors to either join duties or submit the penalty amount for avoiding bond service within 15 days from the publication of the notice.

Issuing a notice in this regard, the Uttarakhand Government has given the doctors two options- either to join duties within 15 days or get freed from the bond liabilities by submitting the penalty amount to the principal of Government Medical College, Srinagar and Government Medical College, Haldwani.

"Apart from this, notice is also issued to all those bonded doctors who are absent from their place of posting, they should ensure to be present in the Directorate General regarding their absence with evidence within 5 days from the date of publication of this notice," the notice further read.

Such an action was taken by the State Health Department against the bond holders who had completed their MBBS examination from Government Medical College, Haldwani, Nainital and Government Medical College, Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand State Government Medical College, Haldwani, Garhwal, Uttarakhand at concessional rates by filling security bond.

Also Read: Bond service ineffective if rural postings not given within stipulated time: HC

These doctors were posted in various medical units of Uttarakhand and had taken admission in three-year post-graduate course and two-year post-graduate diploma. However, even after completing three-year post-graduate course, two-year post-graduate diploma, the security bonds filled at the time of MBBS, which was mentioned in the affidavit given by the students, has not yet been submitted to the Directorate General of Health Services, Uttarakhand.

Therefore, issuing notice to such doctors, the State Health Department mentioned that they "will return to the office within 15 days from the date of publication of this notice."

Those 3-year PG Degree holders/ 2-year PG Diploma holders who will not return to the office of the the Directorate General of Health Services, Uttarakhand, within 15 days of the publication of the notice will be considered to be absent and "Legal action will be initiated against those absentee doctors as per the rules for recovery of bond. The entire responsibility of which will be of the concerned bond holder doctor," the State Health Department warned in the notice issued on May 5.

Such bonded doctors who do not want to serve according to the security bond, can contact the principal of Government Medical College, Srinagar and Government Medical College, Haldwani and they can be freed from bond liabilities by depositing the amount according to the security bond, the notice clarified.