Haryana junks Rs 10 lakh bond for MBBS admissions

Rohtak: The Haryana chief minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the students taking admission in bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery (MBBS) course need not pay a bond amount of Rs 10 lakh during admission in government medical colleges.

Instead, students will now only have to enter into a bond-cum-loan agreement of the amount with the college and the concerned bank. The state government will finance the bond amount if MBBS and MD pass-out students wish to join government service as a doctor and serve for a specified period of seven years. But candidates who do not want to join government services in Haryana will have to pay the amount themselves. 

Medical Dialogues had already reported that as per a circular by the State Government of Haryana, Rs 10 lakh annual bond policy was supposed to remain effective for this academic year as well and the MBBS students were required to pay the amount at the start of every academic year till the completion of the MBBS degree of four and a half years.

Upset with the State Government notice regarding Rs 10 lakh annual bond for students pursuing MBBS courses in the Government medical colleges in Haryana, the medicos belonging to Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) launched a signature campaign recently.

The students also went on protest against the annual bond policy of the Government which was supposed to be effective from the current academic year and will continue till the completion of the MBBS degree. The medicos of Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) also protested against the government's decision. 

Meanwhile, the Director of PGIMER  held a meeting with the Directorate of Medical Education & Research Haryana (DMER) and stated that as of now " No Bond Money is to be paid during admission." The clauses will be changed in Bond Papers. Moreover, for batch 2020 and 2021, there is no need to pay bond even if the medico join PG i.e. MD / DNB immediatly after MBBS or  join Govt. Service but they will have to pay in case they join 2 Year Diploma courses as DGO after MBBS.

For now students only have to give an undertaking and they will need to pay the bond only if they neither join PG (except DGO as mentioned above) nor Govt. Services. 

However, the doctors have still highlighted some unresolved issues. The State chairman IMA JDN Haryana, Dr. Karan Junega pointed out that the students who get in to Government medical colleges in Haryana are expected to compulsorily work in Government sector for 7 years (after MBBS). If doctor wishes to pursue other career options, they will still have to pay Rs 40 lakh. He mentioned that this rule does not apply to AYUSH students or to private medical colleges. It doesn't apply to IIT's Engg or Law colleges. Students are agitating against this new rule in Haryana.

He further stated, " This applies to 2021 MBBS batches onwards. Their fees thus goes up from Rs 53,000 a year to over Rs 10 lakh a year, equalling that of private medical colleges. This is seen as exploitation, taking away the "Right to Education". It makes it difficult for students from non-wealthy backgrounds to come forward to become doctors. It will turn bright people away from applying for MBBS merit seats. The public will eventually suffer." 

"There is also no guarantee that there will be enough Government jobs for those who pass MBBS in the future, and what the Bond terms will be if no job is available. The policy doesn't make it mandatory for the state government to provide employment to MBBS graduates. With this uncertainty, students' future has been put at risk", added the doctor.