Amend policy for PG admissions, Himachal Pradesh HC to govt

Vijay Arora

Shimla, July 20

The HP High Court has directed the state government to amend its 2019 policy formulated to regulate admissions to various post graduate (PG), super-specialty in medical education applicable in the state by reducing the mandatory period of service by the doctors from four/five years to two years.

While passing the judgment, Justice Sandeep Sharma observed that the “period of mandatory service provided under Clause 6.1 of the policy, by no stretch of imagination, can be said to be reasonable and as such, it deserves to be reduced to two years.”

The court observed that “though the policy provides an opportunity to General Duty Officers (GDOs) having a PG degree to take admission to super-specialty courses as sponsored candidates, before doing so they are compelled to have completed a mandatory service of four/five years on account of they having furnished bonds at the time of taking admission to the PG course in terms of the aforesaid policy.”

It observed that “In case postgraduates are made to wait for five years to apply for a super-specialty course, it is not only the state, which will be deprived of the services of super-specialists for some time, but also the candidates will not have admission to the super-specialty course at the first opportunity”.

“This court can take a judicial note of the fact that there is a dearth of doctors in the state. What to talk of super-specialists, hospitals like the IGMC, Shimla, and Dr RPGMC, Tanda (Kangra) do not have the adequate faculty to serve the public at large. Besides, the respondent-state has opened five new colleges, which are being run by the faculty appointed on a contractual basis and as such, it would be expedient and in the interest of the public at large that more doctors are sent for super-specialty courses so that the people of the state are not compelled to go to Chandigarh or Delhi for their medical treatment,” the court stated.

The court passed the judgment on a bunch of petitions filed by the doctors challenging the condition of the mandatory period of service laid down in the 2019 policy framed by the state for taking admissions to PG and super-specialty courses.

While disposing of the petitions the court directed the government to issue NOCs to all petitioners as they have completed two years bonded service under the state.

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