Guwahati, Aug. 12: The Assam government is mulling increasing the bond money for students passing out of medical colleges in the state.

Health minister Nazrul Islam today told the Assembly that the government is considering a proposal to raise the amount of compensation required to be paid by graduate and post-graduate students in case of non-adherence to the mandatory provision to serve in government hospitals for a period of 10 years after they graduate.

Islam said the amount is likely to be increased from Rs 10 to Rs 20 lakh in case of medical graduates and Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh in case of post-graduates.

He said there is also a proposal to reduce the mandatory period by half from the existing 10 years to five.

The health minister said the final decision on these changes would be taken shortly.

According to the Assam Medical Colleges (Regulations of Admission into PG Course) Rules 2006, a doctor on completion of his/her MBBS and PG course has to serve under the state government for at least 10 years.

In case of any breach of terms and conditions, defaulting doctors are liable to pay compensation to the state government on account of expenses borne for students pursuing the MBBS and post-graduate courses.

Replying to a debate on cut motion brought by the Opposition MLAs on supplementary demand for grant of the health department, Islam said that for the first time he had implemented the bond this year by persuading the doctors passing out from medical colleges in Assam under the state quota to serve in government hospitals.

He said three post-graduate students, however, chose to pay Rs 20 lakh each instead of serving in government hospitals.

The minister said that 80 per cent of the medical students are from affluent families, who are reluctant to serve in government hospitals, particularly in rural and backward areas since there are much better opportunities for them in urban centres.

Legislators cutting across party lines supported the proposal and said the people visiting government health institutions should not be deprived of the services of qualified doctors since a huge amount of public money is invested by the state government on their education and the public money would not be allowed to go waste.

Islam said the state government spends around Rs 40 lakh for the education of a MBBS student while nearly Rs 1 crore is spent on that of a post-graduate student.

During the debate on the cut motion, the Opposition MLAs also criticised the state government for poor condition of the government healthcare facilities.