IMA urges Gujarat CM to scrap bond policy for medical students

The IMA has urged Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel to abolish the mandatory bond policy for UG and PG medical students, citing a lack of vacancies for bond service which causes delays and hardships for young doctors looking for postings.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday wrote to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel seeking the abolition of the bond policy for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical students. The IMA has urged the state government to scrap the mandatory bond policy applicable to MBBS and postgraduate (PG) medical students.

According to the association, there are currently not enough vacancies available for doctors to complete their mandatory bond service. It has claimed that delays in postings are causing hardship and injustice to young doctors.

'Not enough vacancies'

"A policy of providing a stipend of Rs. 20 lakhs and Rs. 40 lakhs respectively for one year of rural service from the students admitted to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the medical colleges of the state is in force. At present, there has been a huge increase in the number of undergraduate and postgraduate seats in the medical colleges in the state. As a result, full seats cannot be provided through stipend service," he said in the letter.

Uncertainty and Career Hurdles for Doctors

The IMA noted that since the government has been recruiting Class-II Medical Officers and Class-I Doctors through GPSC on a permanent basis, the doctors recruited through Bonded Service face a lot of uncertainty and insecurity.

"Every year, there is a lot of delay in posting of Bonded Service, so the candidates do not get the recruitment on time, which has an adverse effect on them fulfilling the necessary qualifications for admission to postgraduate or super-speciality courses," the letter said.

Appeal Cites Maharashtra Example

The IMA further appealed to the Gujarat government to abolish the bond policy, similar to the decision taken by Maharashtra, and to take a decision in the best interests of medical students. "Since the posting orders are also issued at the convenience of the government, the candidates have to leave their other jobs or courses and appear for Bonded Service. Due to similar issues, the Maharashtra state has also taken a policy decision to abolish the bonus system. In this regard, we humbly request you to actively reconsider the policy of abolishing the bonus system for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the state," IMA said. (ANI)

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