No more mandatory bond year: Maharashtra frees MBBS graduates from 2006-era rule
The government says the policy had outlived its purpose as MBBS seats surged past 11,000, leaving too few bond postings and graduates stuck waiting to pursue postgraduate courses.
Graduates eligible for bond service but not yet allotted postings, unable to complete it, or allotted postings but not yet joined as of the GR's date, are all now exempt. Those already serving must complete their remaining tenure.
Ending a nearly two-decade-old policy, the Maharashtra government on Thursday scrapped the mandatory one-year bond service for MBBS graduates, saying the requirement had become impractical as the number of medical graduates far outstripped the government’s capacity to provide bond postings.
The move benefits graduates from government, aided and municipal medical colleges, as well as private college students who had availed government benefits. MBBS graduates waiting for bond postings will no longer have to complete the mandatory year before becoming eligible for postgraduate admissions.
In a Government Resolution issued Thursday, the Medical Education and Drugs Department said the state’s MBBS intake had risen sharply while government departments had only limited bond service positions available, leaving many graduates unaccommodated and delaying their academic and professional progression.
“It has also been observed that newly qualified MBBS graduates are completing the mandatory social responsibility service solely to become eligible for admission to postgraduate medical courses. As a result, they do not provide medical services to their full potential at their place of posting. Moreover, since these candidates have only recently graduated from the MBBS programme, they are not sufficiently competent to independently provide emergency medical services,” the GR states.
The policy was reviewed after a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on July 9, 2025, following which the Public Health Department recommended scrapping the service, a proposal now accepted by the Medical Education Department.
Graduates eligible for bond service but not yet allotted postings, unable to complete it, or allotted postings but not yet joined as of the GR’s date, are all now exempt. Those already serving must complete their remaining tenure.
A senior official said the bond was introduced in 2006 to address a doctor shortage in rural Maharashtra, with non-compliance drawing a steep penalty. “Since then, the state’s MBBS intake has increased significantly, from around 4,500 seats in 2006 to more than 11,000 in 2025. At the same time, the government’s policy of establishing at least one medical college in every district has strengthened the availability of doctors across the state,” the official said.
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Student and parent groups welcomed the decision. “The penalty was so high that students would generally prefer to complete the bond. But there were challenges in finding posts in hospitals to complete this one-year service. Even in government medical colleges, all would not get the opportunity and students would end up looking for opportunities elsewhere. It is a great relief that this one-year mandatory bond has now been completely scrapped for MBBS graduates, although it continues for PG students,” said parent representative Sudha Shenoy.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors called it a long-awaited reform that would remove delays in postgraduate admissions and career progression.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
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