New Bond Policy: Gujarat proposes 1.5 years of Mandatory Service for doctors completing MBBS, PG degree

Gandhinagar: Formulating a new bond policy for doctors who fail to adhere to their service bonds after completing both MBBS and Postgraduate medial courses, the State Government of Gujarat has proposed to allow such doctors to serve for only one-and-a-half years instead of the mandatory service of two years.

This proposal for the new bond policy was announced by the Health Minister of the State Rushikesh Patel during the Question Hour at the State Assembly on Monday.

Referring to the fact that several bonded doctors do not join government service and do not pay the bond penalty and prepare for NEET PG entrance examination, the Minister announced at the Assembly, "Those who have signed the bonds and do not report to work are not handed over certificates for medical practice. But mostly, it is seen that doctors, who do not join or who do not pay the bond money, prepare for NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) for postgraduate courses. This we do not come to know."

"We are going to make a new policy wherein we will allow a student who has completed both MBBS and PG to serve (in the rural areas) for 1.5 years instead of the two years. Or else, the student has to pay Rs 20 lakh bond fee for MBBS and Rs 40 lakh for the PG course for freeing from the bond," mentioned the Minister.

Last year, Medical Dialogues had reported that around 67% of MBBS doctors in Gujarat skipped bond service duty in the last two years. The data in this regard was shared by the State Government during the budget session of the Assembly.

Also Read: Gujarat Shocker: 67 percent MBBS doctors skipped bond service duty, Govt to recover Rs 38.15 crore

Providing exact figures, the State Government of Gujarat had informed the assembly that only 608 out of 1,879 MBBS doctors reported for duty in 2020 and 2021 and the Government has to recover an amount of Rs 38.15 crore from those absent doctors as bond payment

The rules regarding bond service have changed over the years. Back in 2013, MBBS and PG graduates needed to serve in the rural areas for three years or pay Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh penalty respectively. In 2014, the Government exempted the doctors pursuing nonclinical subjects from the bond condition as such posts were not available in the Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres.

Later, following a Supreme Court order, the Government back in 2018 deleted the bond condition for AIQ students for both MBBS and PG medical courses. Back in 2019, the bond tenure was reduced to one year but the amount of penalty was increased to Rs 20 lakh for the MBBS and Rs 40 lakh for the PG medical students respectively.

The daily adds that back in 2020, the State announced to consider COVID duty as a part of the mandatory rural service tenure. At that time, service in COVID hospitals were being considered as double the time served under rural tenure. Later in April 2021, the Government extended the residency period of final year PG students by three months and counted it as part of bond service in a 1:1 ratio.

Following this, in July 2021, the Health Department revoked the earlier GR and announced that bond service period will be counted on par with the non-COVID times at 1:1 ratio.

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