The Bombay High Court on Tuesday pulled up the state government for not deputing doctors from the state-run post-graduate courses appropriately and treating them like bonded labourers. Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice R D Dhanuka said tribal belts like Melghat face serious shortage of broad specialist and super specialists and the doctors who have been denied deputation this year could have been effectively posted in such areas. About 130 doctors had moved court contending that they were not considered for posting exercise completed recently and were told that they would be assigned postings next year. Under a Government Resolution (GR) issued by the Department of Medical Education and Drugs on February 8,2008,a doctor,who completes a post-graduate course from a state-run medical college is required to compulsorily serve in rural areas or a civic body for a period of one year or pay a penalty of Rs 15 lakh. The GR requires the authorities to assign doctors under the bond with postings within three months of the declaration of their results. The counsel for the doctors V M Thorat said the government authorities cannot retain their original papers indefinitely. Thorat rued that although the high court has directed the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to give befitting postings to broad specialty and super-specialty degree-holders,the authorities were still asking them to serve on posts meant for MBBS degree-holders. He told the court that the difference between monthly remuneration of a MBBS degree-holder and a broad specialist was about Rs 20,000. The court has now posted the case for final hearing on September 11.
