A group of social activists, including academicians and lawyers, Sunday gathered in Rohtak town to extend support to the MBBS students, who are protesting against the bond policy introduced by the Haryana government. As per the bond policy, the MBBS students are supposed to sign a bond-cum-agreement to undertake that they will serve in the state-run government hospitals for at least five years after completing their course from government medical colleges. The students are demanding job guarantee within four months of completion of their course if the government insists on such an undertaking. The government has assured that it will give, at least, a contractual job within one year of completion of their course. In support of the protesting students, the activists under the banner of Nagrik Manch (Citizen Forum) Sunday held a People’s Assembly at Rohtak’s Bar Association Hall. On this occasion, Professor Pramod Gouri claimed that no other state was implementing a bond policy like the one by the Haryana government. Gouri alleged: “This policy involves the bank as a party to the bond and pushes the students to economic liability in future.” Dr Suresh Vashisht, former president of the Association of Surgeons of India, said: “If the government executes the bond policy, it must provide a guarantee for jobs to all MBBS graduates. Otherwise, there should be no bond at all.” Dr Ranbir Singh Dahiya, an academician and former professor of Rohtak-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), said: “When I was a student at PGIMS (Rohtak), then the government had lesser resources and yet there was no bond system.” Dahiya had earlier stated: “This condition of bond may be applicable to only those whom the government offers a job. If one is not taking up the job, then he may be asked to pay the fee of Rs 40 lakh. But if a student opts for the government job and the government is unable to offer the job, then why should the loan amount be paid by the candidate?” President of Rohtak District Bar Association Lokender Phogat said: “We would all fight for the students who are protesting against the policy.” Former president of the Rohtak District Bar Association Bhagat Singh Malik said: “The students, who are gems of our society, are being forced to agitate instead of studying. This implies clearly that there is something terribly wrong with the bond policy. The government must reconsider the policy and should accept the demands of the students. This is the only right course of action to resolve this issue.” On its part, the government has been insisting that the sole aim of the bond policy is to meet the shortage of doctors in state-run hospitals. If the MBBS graduates from government-run institutions join private institutes instead of government jobs, they have to deposit the bond amount of Rs 30 lakh. The protesting students are demanding the bond amount should be reduced to Rs 5 lakh and period of compulsory service in the government sector to one year instead of five years.
