State Govt hikes bond penalty for medical courses

SHILLONG: In an attempt to discourage government sponsored doctors from violating the bond agreement and not serving the State after completing their medical courses, the State government has now enhanced the bond penalty to ensure that candidates who complete their medical studies under government sponsorship must return to the State and serve the people.
Health and Family Welfare Minister A.L. Hek informed that the government has increased the bond amount to Rs.25 lakh for candidates undergoing MBBS studies and Rs.40 lakh for candidates undergoing postgraduate courses.
In addition, the government has also enhanced the bond amount to Rs.10 lakh for those candidates who get admission in medical institutes across the country on their own.
The minister stated that over the years several candidates violated the bond and failed to return to the State following which the State government took action and many of them had to pay the penalty.
Last year, Assembly Speaker A.T. Mondal had urged the State government to take stringent action against erring doctors who do not return to the State to serve here after having completed their MBBS course under the State quota.
The Speaker’s reaction came after the Health minister informed the Assembly that 92 doctors had failed to report to the State Health department after completing their MBBS course under the State quota.
As many as 14 out of 42 doctors from the 2003-04 batch did not serve the State while the number of doctors from the 2004-05 batch who violated the bond was 16.
For the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 batches the number of violators was 17, 23 and 22 respectively.