Doctors protest against Jharkhand MBBS bond policy

Ranchi: The junior doctors at Ranchi-based Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) protested against the 5-year bond service policy, proposed by the State Government.

According to the junior doctors, making bond service mandatory in medical education could prove detrimental to the future of MBBS students in Jharkhand.

Calling the five-year-bond service policy proposal "impractical", the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) has warned that imposing such a long bond service at the undergraduate level could deprive students of opportunities for higher education, especially postgraduate studies.

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JDA has demanded immediate review of the policy, fair and student-friendly reforms, and argued that there should be no barriers to higher education.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that recently, the State Health Minister, Dr. Irfan Ansari, announced that MBBS graduates from medical colleges would be required to serve the State for five years to address the shortage of doctors.

Reacting to the announcement, RIMS JDA recently issued a press communiqué and said that the postgraduate (PG) doctors are already bound by a three-year mandatory service, and therefore, imposing a five-year bond on the MBBS graduates is unjustified and discouraging for young medical professionals. Criticising the State's decision, the office bearers of JDA said that the Government was attempting to place the burden of a failing healthcare system on MBBS graduates.

The doctors under the JDA further argued that if the Health Minister was genuinely serious about improving healthcare services, the Government should focus on making provisions for regular appointments of specialist doctors graduating from medical colleges.

According to them, medical education does not end with obtaining an MBBS degree as further studies are essential for becoming a fully developed doctor.