‘Forced labour’: Doctors condemn Delhi’s mandatory service bond for medical graduates

The medical community has strongly opposed the move, calling it “draconian, enslavement, and forced labour”. The doctors have voiced their dissatisfaction, pointing out the policy’s effects on medical education and the healthcare system, including medical practitioners and associations.

They further contended that the legislation is unfair, especially because graduates from other esteemed universities, such as Delhi University or IIT Delhi, are not bound by the same. Concerns have been expressed regarding the policy’s fairness and viability.

Medical graduates who clear the exam must sign three types of bonds: a service bond, a seat leaving bond, and a bank guarantee. For instance, Andhra Pradesh imposes a one-year service bond with a penalty of Rs 40 lakh. In contrast, Delhi did not enforce any service bonds earlier.

Dr Rohan Krishnan, national chairman and co-founder of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), called the bond ‘forced labour and enslavement’, pointing out that by making doctors sign this requirement, the government is trying to make up for shortcomings in the healthcare system.

“All experiments are done on doctors and on Indian health systems by the officers who have little knowledge and experience of the ground-level system. They work on adhocism which finally bleeds the health system,” he added.

Dr Krishnan said the bond policy is on the verge of abolishment across India and the National Medical Commission (NMC) has also set guidelines to end the bond policy for the medical graduates – UG or PG. The introduction of the mandatory service bond policy by Delhi is not at all acceptable when its closure is being decided pan India, he said.

He further said that students in Delhi come from across the country and after their graduation is done, they generally go to better institutes for their advancement in career. “With appointments in the GNCT hospitals, where infrastructure is not at par, the government is now planning to take the best of doctors from top hospitals and send them in PHCs and sub optimal hospitals and put the burden on their heads,” the doctor added.

The United Doctors Front Association (UDFA) denounced the move, claiming that it violates the rights of recent medical graduates and is exploitative.

The UDFA demanding an immediate revocation of the unjust policy on a social media post said: “The GNCTD’s forced one-year service bond on medical graduates is a blatant violation of our rights and professional freedom. Team UDFA demand an immediate revocation of this unjust policy. Doctors are not bonded laborers!”

“The bond policy is bonded slavery of humans to force them to work after their education against their will and failure of it will lead to heavy fines which altogether puts huge mental stress on the doctors,” Dr Dhruv Chauhan, a national council member of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), noted.

Imposing restrictions on doctors to work against their will is a human rights violation, the council member said, adding that why only doctors are under this bonded slavery and not any other profession raises more questions over the biases of forceful laws imposed on the doctors.

“Though we do not support it for any profession but this question again is a disparity,” he said.

“Especially in states like Delhi where there is a surplus of doctors what would be the meaning of imposing a bond? There is huge politics behind to disturb the healthcare system,” Dr Chauhan added.

Delhi already has a surplus of junior and senior residents, evident from the thousands of applicants for a few hundred posts each year, Dr Shubham Anand, a junior resident practicing at VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi said.

Dr Anand, who is also the national chairman of the Global Association of Indian Medical Students (GAIMS), said: “With the 50 per cent of all-India Quota, many students from other states return home after completing their courses. The mandatory bond would force them to stay against their will. It also disrupts students preparing for exams like USMLE/PLAB who wish to relocate abroad, wasting their time.”

“The number of MBBS graduates in Delhi exceeds available vacancies, raising the question of whether the government will create additional jobs. This bond policy would also block opportunities for residents from other states seeking exposure and better prospects in Delhi, as all positions would be filled through the bond,” he added.