Relief for MBBS students in Haryana, won’t have to pay bond fee

Tribune News Service

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, November 2

Bowing to the pressure built by MBBS students against the hefty bond fee, the state government today decided that no student would have to pay any bond money (around Rs 10 lakh) at the time of admission to the course at any of the government medical colleges in the state.

Now, they would only have to sign a bond-cum-loan agreement of the amount with their college and the bank concerned.

Chief Minister’s claim

• The step has been taken so that after doing their MBBS course, the students give their services at government hospitals and serve the people of the state
• The govt aims to achieve a target of one doctor for every 1,000 population as per the criterion set by the WHO

The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Chandigarh about the implementation of the state government’s policy regarding encouraging doctors to opt for the government service after completing their MBBS course.

As per the decision, the state government would finance the bond amount if the MBBS/MD pass-out joined the government service in the state and served for seven years.

The apprehension

The policy does not make it mandatory for the state to give employment to all MBBS graduates. Those who fail to get government job will have to pay the bond amount on their own. —A student

Those not joining the government service would have to pay the bond amount on their own. Moreover, the Bachelor’s degrees of such students would be issued only after the candidates had met all financial liabilities.

“The step has been taken so that after doing their MBBS course, the students give their services at government hospitals and serve the people of the state. The state government aims to achieve a target of one doctor for every 1,000 population as per the criterion set by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” Khattar said.

Meanwhile, the MBBS students holding protest against the bond fee are not satisfied with this relief stating that the issue of guarantee of government job to every MBBS pass-out still persisted.

“The policy that came into existence in 2020 does not make it mandatory/obligatory for the state government to give employment to all MBBS graduates. The candidates shall have to go through the prescribed procedure to join the state medical services. In this situation, those who fail to get government job will have to pay the bond amount on their own and it will create extra pressure on them,” said an MBBS student.

Another student said the so-called “relief” given by the government had no meaning without the job guarantee to all MBBS pass-outs. “Majority of the students want to serve the state, hence the government should give them job guarantee after the completion of their course,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr RS Dahiya, a retired professor from the PGIMS-Rohtak and convener of the Jan Swastya Abhiyan, has decried the government policy. He said 710 MBBS students passed out from government colleges in the state every year and the past record revealed that all of them could not be accommodated in the government set-up every year. “In this situation, the students will have to pay the bond amount on their own, hence the government’s decision is nothing except an eyewash,” he added.

PGIMS Director Dr SS Lohchab could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

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