New Delhi, Nov 12, 2022, IANS

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The National Medicos Organisation (NMO) on Friday wrote to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, seeking abolition of the bond policy for MBBS students in Haryana.

The doctors and MBBS syudents at PGIMS Rohtak are protesting against the bond policy for MBBS admission in Haryana.

As per the bond policy, an amount of Rs 40 lakh has to be deposited by an MBBS student which will be refunded only after seven years of service and if the student fails to serve for this period, he or she will have to forfeit the bond amount.

"This is akin to 'bonded labour', which was abolished by the Constitution many years ago. It is also equally surprising that such a derogatory policy exists only for doctors in India," NMO said in the letter.

The bond policy has created widespread discontent among parents and students and has turned away many budding students from pursuing medicine as a career option.

Those who complete MBBS waste their precious youthful years in the bond instead of joining PG/super speciality courses, the letter added.

The medicos' body has sought the abolition of the policy with immediate effect.

"We have demanded that the bond policy should be abolished with immediate effect. To enforce India as a leader in medical education in the world and to attract young talent to the medical field, the outdated derogatory concept of bond should be abolished with immediate effect," NMO member Sarvesh Pandey said in the letter.

NMO has also demanded to constitute a high-level expert committee to discuss the bond policy.

"While decisions are being taken on this issue, as an interim arrangement, the state may be instructed to uniformly modify the current bond policy as the duration of bond after MBBS should not be more than two years, amounting to less than Rs 10 lakh (first year) and should be reduced to half after completion of one year of posting," NMO suggested.

If a student gets admitted to a PG course during the tenure of posting, he/she should be provided with an option of serving the remaining period after completion of the PG course, it added.

The NMO has also suggested that "a bond with a total period of three years may be applied during the entire curriculum which can be done as per the convenience of the students. The bond amount should not be more than Rs 30 lakh," the letter read.