Odisha: Medicos to serve the state for two years after PG Courses

Bhubaneshwar: Students doing post graduate courses at government run colleges have been bound to serve the state for a two year term period on completion of their course . However, if a student gets an opportunity to study further, immediately after PG completion, he would be allowed to do so, with the two year service term being completed, at the end of the course.

Making the two year work provision mandatory, the government has asked the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) to ensure execution of the bond, that students will have to sign to this effect, while taking admission in the state-run medical colleges. However, the government will allow the bond to lapse , if the candidate is not able to find work in the state.

The State Health Department’s last week’s decision stressed that "all candidates taking admission in government medical colleges, either under state quota or all India quota in post-graduation in medicine (MD), post-graduation in medical master of surgery (MS), master of dental surgery, or doctor medicine (DM) courses" would have to execute the bond. The decision does not cover under-graduate courses such as MBBS, BDS and paramedical courses.

Students entering this service bond for two years with the state would be required to make affidavits before first class judicial magistrates.

State Health Secretary, Pramod Kumar Meherda, defending the government’s decision said, "The state has an acute shortage of doctors. The government spends a lot in providing medical education in the state. But, most of the students are reluctant to serve the state. The purpose of the bond is to retain graduating doctors and utilize their services."

The state is facing an acute shortage at the specialist level (Doctors with PG degrees) There are nearly 450 post-graduate seats in the three colleges - MKCG Medical College, Berhampur, SCB Medical College, Cuttack, and VSS Medical College, Burla.

"The penalty will be double the amount of stipend/salary received during the study period (post-graduation). We will also not release their pass certificate, college leaving certificate or any other certificate in the custody of the authority."

Candidates leaving the course midway would be liable to face monetary penalty of Rs 10 lakh, the amount of stipend and the salary received by him or her till that period.

Speaking about the nature of bonds to be signed by students, an official said, it would be made on a non-judicial stamp paper of Rs 21. The bonds would have to be signed by the candidate, two sureties (parents or guardians), the Dean and the Principal of the concerned institutions. The bonds would be collected centrally at the time of provisional admission by the selection committee, and handed over to the respective institutions after final admission.

At present, the state has about 1300 doctor posts vacant in the state, of the total of 4,700 available. The state government dismissed 408 doctors for abandoning duty in November 2015, reports the Telegraph.