Shockwaves in Uttarakhand Health Dept: 234 Doctors Sacked Over Bond Service Violations

Dehradun: Altogether 234 government contractual doctors in Uttarakhand have been sacked for failing to fulfil the conditions of their bond agreements, which required them to serve in the state for five years after completing their MBBS or MD/MS degrees from government medical colleges, and not submitting the penalty amount to the government.

Their names will be sent to the National Medical Commission, and the health department will recover the bond amount, which could go up to two crore rupees from all of them as part of their bond agreements. Also, the Director General of Health has been asked to take action for the dismissal of these doctors.

These doctors had signed the bond at the time of their admission to government medical colleges by agreeing to work in state-run hospitals for five years or pay a penalty of Rs 20 to 30 lakh, depending on their course.

The bond allows doctors to practise in other states or private institutions only after either fulfilling the five-year service condition or clearing their dues to the state to account for the subsidised cost of their medical education. However, many of them skipped duties and remained absent for five years, while some went on study leave and never returned. Moreover, they did not even submit the penalty amount.

Also read- Join Duty or Submit penalty within 15 days: Uttarakhand Govt's ultimatum for bonded doctors

These doctors were posted in various medical units of Uttarakhand and had taken admission in a three-year post-graduate course and a two-year post-graduate diploma. However, even after completing a three-year post-graduate course and, two-year post-graduate diploma, the security bonds filled at the time of MBBS, which were mentioned in the affidavit given by the students, have not yet been submitted to the Directorate General of Health Services, Uttarakhand.

Despite being sent multiple notices, these doctors neither came back to work nor paid the bond amount. As a result, the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare, Uttarakhand, has now started recovery proceedings against the bondholders and dismissed them.

Previously, Medical Dialogues in 2022 reported that the Uttarakhand Health Department has issued an ultimatum asking the doctors to either join duties or submit the penalty amount for avoiding bond service within 15 days from the publication of the notice. After giving the bonded doctors an ultimatum, the state health department published the list of absent doctors, which contained the names of around 369 such doctors who had been posted in various medical units of Uttarakhand. However, the doctors remained absent from their place of posting.

The bonded doctors who have now been sacked include 95 doctors who passed out from Haldwani Medical College, 83 from Srinagar Medical College, and 56 from Doon Medical College, reports ETV Bharat.

These bonded doctors were assigned duties in several districts. Due to their absences, the district had been suffering from a lack of healthcare providers. Several hospitals across the hill districts are now facing a shortage of doctors. Districts like Chamoli with 46 vacant posts, Nainital with 41 unfilled posts, Tehri with 29, Pauri with 26, Pithoragarh struggling with 25 vacant posts, Uttarkashi with 25, Almora with 16 vacancies, Rudraprayag with 14, Champawat with 11, Bageshwar with 10, and Dehradun with only 1 unfilled position.

Speaking to TNIE, Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, "Many doctors completed their MBBS studies in the state at subsidized fees but subsequently violated the terms of their bond agreements. Around 234 such doctors have been identified. These doctors have reportedly been absent from duty for extended periods without any official notification, leading to their dismissal."

He told TOI, "The conduct of these doctors constituted both a violation of bond conditions and an act of indiscipline. Their names would also be forwarded to the National Medical Commission. Health is a matter of public concern. It is necessary for doctors, officers, and personnel working in this department to understand their responsibilities and perform their duties in accordance with the rules."

He further said, "The director general of health had been directed to proceed with the dismissals, while the health secretary had been asked to seek explanations from the chief medical officers of the affected districts and from the officers-in-charge of the respective hospitals to understand why no action had previously been taken against the absentee doctors."

Medical Dialogues had also reported this year that the Performance Audit Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) revealed that 248 bonded doctors obtained NOC from the medical council without fulfilling the conditions of the bond.

Also read- CAG Exposes Medical Council Lapse: 248 Doctors Granted NOC Without Fulfilling Bond Conditions