SHILLONG: The bonded doctors in the State have rued the apathy of the government to absorb them in regular service and took exception to the move of the department to increase the bond amount.
In a statement on Friday, the bonded doctors who are serving without regularisation under the nomenclature ‘3f’ said majority had adhered to the bond commitments and only a few had not returned to serve in rural areas.
The bonded doctors said the government is non-committal to recruiting them, which can be gauged from the recently conducted MPSC exams.
According to the advertisement dated March 2, 2015, non-bonded private candidates were also selected whereas MPSC had invited applications for recruitment to the 50 posts of Medical and Health Officers under the Health and Family Welfare with criteria that “the candidate must be an MBBS holder from any recognised medical institution in India, duly registered with MCI, with eligibility preference for selection shall be given to the candidates who are bonded i.e candidates who have executed a bond to serve in rural areas for a minimum period of five years”.
The doctors, however, pointed out that subsequently, the advertisement was cancelled by MPSC on April 12 and re-advertised for 60 posts of medical and health officers with the eligibility criterion that the candidate must be an MBBS or its equivalent degree holder from any recognised medical institution in India or abroad duly registered with MCI”.
The statement said when the results of the personal interview was declared, it was found that names of more than 100 bonded candidates who had applied and many who had already been working under ‘3f’ for several years and who had made themselves available and shown willingness to serve in any part of the state whether rural or urban had been rejected.
“It is also surprising that few specialist doctors were not selected to the permanent and regular posts. Despite willingness and sincerity to fulfil the bond, the government is lukewarm about the cause of the bonded doctors,” it said.
Referring to media reports that there is more than 50 per cent shortage of doctors/specialists in PHCs/CHCs/Hospitals in Meghalaya, the bonded doctors said the government is not sincere enough to plug the gaps.
“Finding no alternative and with a bleak future for the advancement of their career and with no sure hope for permanent employment, bonded doctors are left with no other option but to turn to other greener pastures for the sake of their own livelihood and careers,” the statement said.
The doctors also said under the current circumstances, “if the bond amount and the duration are increased then it will be nothing less than tying up the future doctors of this land to slavery and slow career death’.
