NEET PG Admissions: MBBS graduates in Maharashtra may get relief from revised one-year bond service rule

The Maharashtra government may allow MBBS graduates from state-run medical colleges to pursue postgraduation courses without first completing their mandatory bond service.

An official from the Maharashtra medical education department said that officials are discussing whether the new bond service rules – announced in 2017 but yet to be implemented – will apply to the recently graduated medical students. The deliberations come soon after the medicos expressed concern that they may be set back by several years if the revised rule is enforced.

“A decision is likely this week. It will hopefully be in the students’ favour,” the official told Careers360 on the condition of anonymity.

MBBS graduates: Year-long bond service

Through two government resolutions (GR) issued in October 2017, Maharashtra stipulated that graduates from government medical colleges wouldn’t be considered eligible for MD/MS and PG diplomas unless they completed their year-long bond service at remote healthcare facilities and other establishments.

While the directive said that the new condition would apply to PG and super-speciality admissions from academic year 2019-20, the rule hasn’t been mandated till date.

However, when the latest batch of MBBS graduates, who were admitted in 2019-20, enquired at the state medical education directorate about the applicability of the rule, they were informed that the GRs meant the new conditions are to be rolled out from the 2019 undergraduate (UG) batch, and not 2019 PG admissions. This had the graduates worried as many of them are yet to find a posting for their bond service.

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Earlier this month, the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) Maharashtra, a group of 2019 batch students who recently completed their post-MBBS internship, wrote to the medical education director, seeking clarification on the issue. They demanded that they be only subjected to the conditions mentioned in their bond agreement and allowed to take the upcoming NEET PG exam.

“The problem is that there are around 4,150 students graduating from government medical colleges every year. By comparison, only a small number – 100 or so – positions at the rural healthcare centres (RHCs) and primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are available every month. This causes a huge backlog, with the graduates awaiting their turn for 2-3 years. If we can’t pursue PG studies in this duration, we will be at a loss,” said one of the graduates.

NEET PG admissions: Bond service mandate

Currently, the state allows the doctors to immediately enroll in PG courses and complete their bond service later. However, those repeating their PG entrance test for the third time are required to finish their bond service beforehand.

“If the new rule is enforced the aspirants wouldn’t have an option but to break the bond by paying Rs 10 lakh. However, most of us can’t pay such a sum. We don’t have a problem with doing bond service before PG, but for that the state must provide adequate spots. Alternatively, it should revert to the previous norms,” said another doctor.

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The students have also complained that the bond service appointment process isn’t streamlined and lacks transparency. “While the counselling for PHCs and RHCs is done through the state Directorate of Health Services (DHS) portal, there’s no such centralised process for other postings such as tutors, house officers and central government institute responsibilities. The details of applicants and appointees aren’t made public. As there’s no pre-verficiation process, many enter false details and pay bribes to the staff to get postings,” alleged a graduate.