“I, Dr. Kiran Raju (name changed), selected for post graduate diploma course for 2010-11 undertake to serve the government by working in public sector hospital as senior resident for one year after successful completion of the course. If I fail to join as senior resident or not complete one year of service within 18 months, I undertake to pay Rs. 15,00,000 to government.”
330 students
These are the words that students who completed their MBBS swore by in a ‘bond’ in 2010 during PG Diploma and PG Masters Degree (medicine) admissions in the State. And, now, when a batch of 330 students has completed their two-year post graduate diploma course, the health authorities are struggling to post them to district hospitals. With no guidelines to post young doctors to districts and a slew of allegations of ‘rigging’ and posting junior doctors to friendly locations, the PG students are now seeking exemption from rural service till foolproof guidelines are chalked out.
“The first notification to post PG doctors in rural areas was issued on July 24. And immediately the next day, the authorities cancelled the earlier one and issued a fresh notification. Rather mysteriously, postings in several disciplines in medical streams went missing in the second notification. There is a total lack of transparency,” the junior doctors said.
This year, 330 students completed PG diploma courses in various streams of medicine in the State.
“After the July 25 notification, rather abruptly, on July 27 authorities issued another notification cancelling the whole counselling process. They had set up a committee to chalk out the guidelines to post doctors who had completed PG, but the committee only met twice,” medicos pointed out.
Honorarium
“A doctor who completes PG diploma and is posted in districts will get a monthly honorarium of Rs. 20,000. A Primary Health Centre doctor receives a monthly salary of Rs. 32,000. Isn’t it ironical that persons less qualified than us are paid more. Health authorities have not clarified on accommodation, security, working pattern, under whom the students will work and leaves,” junior doctors maintained.
Betrayed
Several medicos said they felt betrayed by the unilateral decisions of authorities. “The committee to chalk out guidelines have two junior doctors. But, our representatives were kept in dark and guidelines were framed for posting for rural service. The present batch should be exempted,” the medicos said.
