Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 3 Jul: In an effort to address indiscipline among government-appointed medical professionals, the Medical and Medical Education Department of Uttarakhand has decided to dismiss 234 doctors, appointed on bond, but have been absent from duty for an extended period without authorisation.
The department will also forward a detailed list of these doctors to the National Medical Council, with the government aiming to recover nearly Rs 2 crores as bond money from the defaulters.
In this respect, Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has stated that these doctors, who pursued MBBS studies in state-run medical colleges at heavily subsidised fees, have violated the mandatory bond agreement. Under this agreement, they were obliged to serve for at least five years in designated hill districts of Uttarakhand upon completion of their degrees. Failing to do so required them to deposit the bond amount and obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) before they could practice privately or take up employment outside the state. However, despite being posted in remote districts, these doctors have remained absent from duty for prolonged periods without prior approval, constituting both a breach of contractual terms and administrative misconduct.
Of the 234 absentee doctors identified, 56 are from Government Doon Medical College, 95 from Haldwani, and 83 from Srinagar Medical College. All of them had deposited their original educational certificates with their respective institutions at the time of admission and signed agreements affirming their commitment to serve in underserved regions. Taking a serious view of the matter, the state government has instructed the Director of Medical Education to initiate recovery of the bond amount from the individuals concerned.
Additionally, the Director General of Health has been directed to begin formal dismissal proceedings against the doctors concerned. The Health Secretary has also been asked to seek detailed explanations from the Chief Medical Officers of the districts where these doctors were posted and from those in-charge of respective hospitals to ascertain why no action had been taken earlier against those found in default.
