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The Gujarat State Government has proposed a new bond policy for doctors who violate their service bonds after completing their MBBS and postgraduate medical courses. Under this proposal, such doctors would only be required to serve for one-and-a-half years instead of the current mandatory service period of two years. The State Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, announced this proposal during the Question Hour at the State Assembly on Monday.
The Minister addressed the issue of bonded doctors who do not fulfill their obligation to serve in government positions and fail to pay the bond penalty. The Minister announced that such doctors will not receive certificates for medical practice. However, it has been observed that many of these doctors instead choose to prepare for the NEET PG entrance examination, which often goes unnoticed.
According to the Minister, a new policy is being developed to address the issue of mandatory rural service for medical students who have completed both MBBS and PG. Under this new policy, these students will be allowed to serve in rural areas for a period of 1.5 years instead of the usual two years. Alternatively, if they wish to be freed from the obligation to serve, they will have to pay a bond fee of Rs 20 lakh for MBBS and Rs 40 lakh for PG courses.
During the budget session of the Assembly, it was reported that approximately 67% of MBBS doctors in Gujarat did not fulfill their bond service duty over the past two years. The State Government of Gujarat provided specific statistics, stating that out of 1,879 MBBS doctors, only 608 reported for duty in 2020 and 2021. As a result, the government is required to recover a bond payment of Rs 38.15 crore from the doctors who were absent from their duty.
The Gujarat Government has proposed a new bond policy in response to the issue of doctors neglecting their bond service duty after completing their MBBS course. According to a recent report by Indian Express, under the new policy, doctors who do not fulfill their bond service obligation for both MBBS and PG courses will only be required to serve for 1.5 years instead of the standard two years of mandatory service.
The Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, provided additional information to the Assembly, stating that over the course of the last three years, doctors throughout the state have been required to pay a total of Rs 139 crore for failing to fulfill their service bonds.
The Health Minister, Rushikesh Patel, also noted that students who complete super speciality courses are required to pay a penalty of Rs 50 lakh if they fail to fulfill their government service obligation in rural areas for one year, according to their bond terms. In response to additional inquiries, the Minister explained that many doctors in the state do not fulfill their rural service obligation because they are able to secure positions in other locations.
During the Question Hour at the assembly, the State Government acknowledged that 359 doctors in the state have yet to pay a total of Rs 18.25 crore in bond penalties. The rules regarding bond service have undergone changes in recent years. In 2013, MBBS and PG graduates were required to serve in rural areas for three years or pay penalties of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively. However, in 2014, doctors pursuing nonclinical subjects were exempted from the bond condition as such positions were unavailable in Primary Health Centers and Community Health Centers.
Subsequent to a Supreme Court ruling in 2018, the Indian Government eliminated the bond requirement for All India Quota students pursuing both MBBS and PG medical courses. In 2019, the bond tenure was shortened to one year, but the bond penalties for MBBS and PG medical students were increased to Rs 20 lakh and Rs 40 lakh, respectively.
According to recent reports, in 2020, the Gujarat Government declared that COVID duty would count as part of the mandatory rural service obligation. At the time, service in COVID hospitals was deemed twice as valuable as service under rural tenure. In April 2021, the government extended the residency period for final year PG students by three months and counted it as part of the bond service at a 1:1 ratio.
However, in July 2021, the Health Department rescinded the previous ruling and announced that bond service periods would once again be counted at a 1:1 ratio with non-COVID times.
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