File picture of a doctor examining a child at a medical camp

Guwahati, July 2: Dispur will make MBBS graduates from outside seeking admission to Assam’s colleges for post-graduate degrees sign bonds that make it mandatory for them to serve in the state's rural areas for at least five years or forgo their monthly stipend.

Till last year, students from outside used to get monthly stipends from the government during their three-year post-graduate course and were not under any obligation to serve in rural areas after completion of the course.

MBBS graduates from Assam have to sign a bond to serve rural areas for 10 years after completing their post-graduate course.

In case of failure to abide by the bond, they have to pay Rs 10 lakh as fine to the government.

From the current academic year starting in August, students from other parts of the country too will have to sign a bond with the Assam government saying they would serve in rural areas for five years in order to receive the monthly stipend.

In accordance with the Supreme Court’s directives, Assam reserves 50 per cent of the total seats in post-graduate courses in its medical colleges for students from other states who have appeared in the all-India post-graduate medical entrance test.

There are 338 post-graduate seats in the state — which includes Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh and Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

Hence, the medical colleges accommodate 169 MBBS graduates from outside every year.

“All students from all-India post-graduate medical entrance test who took admission in post-graduate courses for the current academic year of 2010-11 last month in the three medical colleges have been asked to sign the bond within July. Those not signing the bond will not receive the stipend but are free to leave the state soon after completing the course. A majority of students from states like Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have shown interest in signing the bond,” an Assam government official told The Telegraph.

The prime objective of Dispur’s move is to provide more specialised doctors in rural areas.

He said the government cannot afford to spend a huge amount of money from its exchequer in paying stipend to 169 “outside” MBBS graduates for a period of three years without any return of service.

“Health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was trying hard to do away with the quota system for outsiders in post-graduate courses in its medical colleges and reserve all the seats for the state’s students. The minister argued that if the reservation is lifted, more students from Assam could pursue the post-graduation course and serve the state, particularly in rural areas. Since the reservation system is in accordance with the apex court’s verdict, the government could not do much and decided to adopt a different path to meet the same objective without diluting the court’s ruling,” the official said.

The Junior Doctors’ Association of GMCH welcomed the decision and said it would go a long way to create a strong pool of specialised doctors in rural areas.