By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Health and Family Welfare Department has sought the assistance of the police department to trace the 19 Government-sponsored doctors who had failed to respond to the show-cause notices asking them to provide a written explanation on the reasons for their failure to return and serve in the State.
“We have asked the police department to locate these 19 doctors who failed to respond to the show cause notices issued to them by the department earlier. All these doctors would be asked to pay the bond amount of Rs 10 lakh once the police trace them,” Deputy Chief Minister in charge Health and Family Welfare, Rowell Lyngdoh, said here on Thursday.
Lyngdoh informed that the department had served fresh notices in the last week of June to 28 doctors directing them to pay the Rs 10 lakh bond amount to the government within July since they did not respond to two separate show-cause notices served against them by the State government in July and October last year.
Out of the 28 doctors only nine responded to the fresh show-cause notices.
Lyngdoh also informed that most of the doctors who had responded to the show-cause notices cited their inability to return and serve in the State immediately after completing their MBBS course as they were currently pursuing their post graduate studies. They also assured the State government that they would return back to the State once they complete their PG studies, Lyngdoh informed.
“There are also some who have not completed their MBBS course till date and they have informed the government that they would return back once they completed their MBBS course,” Lyngdoh said.
It may be recalled that the department had, last year, served the notices seeking explanation from 109 sponsored doctors on why they should not refund the bond money of Rs 10 lakh to the government since they did not return to serve in the State despite completion of their MBBS course.
The doctors who were served with the show cause notices belong to various batches between 2000-2001 and 2004-2005, who pursued MBBS course under the State quota of seats in different parts of the country.
Out of the total of 109 doctors who responded to the show-cause notice, 39 of them are pursuing PG courses, another 31 of the doctors have returned back to the State to work, 13 of them are yet to complete their students and the remaining five have dropped out from the MBBS course, the Minister said.
Meanwhile, a source revealed that most of the sponsored students who did not return to serve in the State were non-tribal medical students.
“About 95 per cent of the sponsored medical students who did not return to serve in the State were the non-tribal students,” the source said.
It may be mentioned that the State government had already increased the bond money from Rs 10 to Rs 25 lakh in 2010 to ensure that students undergoing MBBS studies under the State quota seats should come back to the State after they complete their medical studies.