Bond Policy: Delhi doctors extend support to protesting MBBS students in Haryana

Doctors across city hospitals also observed Monday as a ‘Black Day’ and tied a black ribbon on their arms. “We stand in solidarity with PGIMS Rohtak MBBS students and we support resident doctors all over India in their protest against the bond policy. We demand justice for the students. Otherwise, we would be forced to go on a nationwide strike,” said the Federation of All India Medical Association. (FAIMA).

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) also expressed solidarity with the students and said the police action was barbaric and highly condemnable. The association has written a letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on this.

“Incident of police action on doctors carrying out a peaceful protest against fee hike in government medical colleges in Haryana is barbaric and highly condemnable. The astute asympathy shown by the law authorities in firing water cannons and forcefully dragging and manhandling protesting doctors is yet another blot on the face of the medical education system in the state of Haryana and this country,” said the association.

It also stated that an “unwarranted fee hike in the form of a despicable bond policy, followed by police action on innocent doctors who have given their best in all circumstances including the Covid pandemic, shows the apathy and weak memory the government has”. “This incident will not only bring down the morale of doctors in the state in particular and the country in general, but will also widen the gap between the doctors and the government,” it added.

According to Dr Sarvesh Pandey, vice-president of RDA RML and FORDA general secretary, this is an unacceptable and unethical move. “On behalf of RDA RML, we condemn the act of atrocity done by Haryana Police towards the doctors who were on silent protest against the inhumane bond which has been forcibly applied by the Health Ministry of Haryana. The act of violence towards doctors is completely unacceptable and unethical,” he said.

FAIMA president Dr Rohan Krishnan said the seven-year bond duration is a long time and this should be reduced to two years of rural service: “The bond policy should not be more than two years. Most of the time, the government fails to give job opportunities to these doctors. After struggling for two-three years, when they manage to take admission in postgraduate courses or are practising privately somewhere, then suddenly the government has come with the bond policy of seven years.”

“If the government is imposing bonds, then the government should ensure job opportunities immediately after MBBS courses. Many times, we have seen that the government doesn’t give job opportunities to these bonded students even after three-four years,” he said.

The Haryana government had first notified the policy in 2020 but did not ask for the money from the previous batch. Now, during the ongoing MBBS admissions not only were the current batch of students asked to pay the Rs 10 lakh as part of their annual fee, even the previous batch was asked to do so, leading to the students’ protest.

Although most states do have a bond policy for MBBS and PG students, nowhere is the bond amount this high. And, in most places, the bond amount has to be paid only at the end of the course if the students decide not to join state service. Haryana, however, was demanding that it be paid upfront during the course which resident doctors say will discourage many from taking seats in Haryana colleges.