One bond, One salary: UP Bonded doctors protest over pay disparity

Lucknow: Demanding 'one bond, one salary', MBBS doctors in Uttar Pradesh posted under the mandatory two-year service bond staged a protest at the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME).

The protest entered its second day today, with doctors raising concerns over alleged pay disparity and service conditions. These doctors include MBBS graduates from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 batches of various government medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh.

After completing their MBBS and compulsory internship, these doctors are required to serve the state government for two years under the government service bond or pay a bond amount of Rs 10 lakh.

However, they have alleged a pay disparity among bonded doctors in Uttar Pradesh. They claimed that while bonded doctors at Community Health Centres and Primary Health Centres receive only Rs 50,000-65,000 per month without allowances, those posted at government medical colleges receive Level-10 pay with applicable allowances, while NHM doctors doing similar work at CHCs/PHCs earn over Rs 1 lakh. 

Hence, they are demanding "one bond, one salary" with equal pay and allowances for all bonded doctors.

Concerns

Submitting a memorandum to the Department of Medical Education & Training / Medical & Health Services, the doctors have sought immediate revision of their remuneration, grant of applicable allowances, release of arrears and a time-bound resolution of their grievances as Medical Officers serving under the Compulsory Government Service Bond.

The doctors have alleged that there is a significant difference in the remuneration of bonded doctors posted at CHCs and PHCs and those posted at government medical colleges. 

As per the representation, bonded doctors serving at government medical colleges receive Level-10 pay corresponding to the 5,400 Grade Pay, along with applicable allowances such as Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), Non-Practising Allowance (NPA) and Transport Allowance (TA).

On this, the protesting doctors have stated that they have the same MBBS qualification, compulsory internship and two-year service obligation, and are bound by the same Rs 10 lakh bond, but their remuneration varies depending on their place of posting, indicating that bonded doctors at CHCs and PHCs receive no NPA, HRA or DA.

The disparity, they said, is also at CHCs and PHCs where NHM-appointed Medical Officers performing comparable duties reportedly receive more than Rs 1 lakh per month.

The doctors said that those posted at CHCs and PHCs perform regular Medical Officer duties, including OPD and IPD services, emergency and night duties, independent patient assessment and management, medico-legal cases, post-mortem duties and participation in government health programmes such as Aarogya Melas, but still they claimed to be receiving less remuneration.

They have also alleged the difficulties faced by doctors posted in rural and remote areas. According to the representation, many doctors have to travel 30-50 km or more to reach their places of posting, while government accommodation is often unavailable or unsuitable. The doctors also cited power shortages, limited infrastructure, and additional safety concerns, particularly for female doctors posted in remote areas.

The doctors have claimed that these expenses impose a substantial recurring out-of-pocket financial burden on them as they have to pay for travel and accommodation from their fixed remuneration.

"These costs are borne from a fixed remuneration that has remained unchanged for years, thereby further reducing the effective income available to doctors serving under the compulsory bond," the representation stated. 

The issue, according to the doctors, affects around 1,879 MBBS doctors serving under the compulsory government service bond across various CHCs and PHCs in Uttar Pradesh, comprising 1,441 doctors from the current batch and 438 doctors from the senior batch.

The affected doctors said they have made repeated efforts to seek a resolution through administrative and legal channels, including submitting multiple memoranda to the Directorate General of Medical Education & Training (DGME), raising grievances through IGRS and other official government grievance platforms, and submitting representations to the concerned authorities. 

Demands

The doctors are demanding Level-10/5,400 Grade Pay remuneration for bonded doctors posted at CHCs and PHCs, at par with bonded doctors serving at government medical colleges. They have also demanded applicable DA, HRA, NPA, and TA, along with the immediate release of admissible arrears for the affected batches for periods of service already rendered. 

They have also sought a time-bound written decision and official communication, with an early appointment/meeting with representatives of the doctors, equal pay for all bonded doctors performing equivalent duties, irrespective of batch, institution of graduation, or place/institution of posting, appropriate allowance for doctors serving at remote, rural and difficult CHC/PHC postings and provision of annual increment as applicable, so that remuneration does not remain stagnant under the outdated fixed-pay structure.

The doctors have also submitted a representation to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking his intervention in the matter.

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