5-year mandatory service for MBBS graduates before PG medical admissions- Uttarakhand drafting new policy: Report

Dehradun: Aiming to ensure the availability of an adequate number of doctors in remote areas, the State Health Department, Uttarakhand, is drafting a new policy that would require them to complete five years of service before joining the postgraduate medical courses.

TOI has reported that this new Government policy will apply to MBBS graduates from anywhere across the country wishing to join the State Government's health sector.

The Government took note of the fact that a significant number of doctors quietly exit the government service to pursue postgraduate courses or other opportunities.

Amid this situation, the new government policy aims to plug the recurring shortages in remote primary and secondary healthcare centres, where the health facilities have remained strained for years due to the absence of MBBS doctors.

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The State Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat had first suggested this idea to improve the availability of doctors in the State. Earlier, the minister had suggested making it mandatory for postgraduate students to serve in the State for two years. However, that policy has not materialised yet. Both of these proposals will come into effect only after approval is granted by the cabinet.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, senior doctors have pointed out that even though the State Health Department has around 1,600 MBBS posts and 1450 are officially shown as filled, the ground reality is far more uneven. Confirming this, a senior doctor from the State Health Department told the Daily, "Many MBBS doctors resign soon after joining, leaving a worrying gap in healthcare delivery in remote centres. Others quietly pursue postgraduate studies while continuing to draw a salary from the health department, but remain absent from their duty hospitals, affecting patient care."

Commenting on the matter, the Director General of Health Services, Dr. Sunita Tamta, explained how the proposal may help stabilise the system and added, "This clause will ensure that anyone joining the department does so after careful consideration. It will apply to candidates from any state who wish to join the Uttarakhand medical health services as govt doctors."

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