CHENNAI: In a sudden and unexpected turn of events, doctors who were supposed to be relieved of the bond period for mandatory service, either in government hospitals or rural areas after completing medical courses, were left in shock over a withheld letter issued by the Directorate of Medical Education (DME).
The State Health Department had reduced the medical professionals’ bond period from two years to one year for non-service postgraduate doctors who completed their courses in 2023. But DME has withheld the relieving of such candidates from their bond service which ends on October 30, 2024, the affected doctors said. The non-service doctors have requested the DME to look into the anomaly and relieve them as agreed upon.
The service Post Graduates have written to the Director of Medical Education - Research and the health secretary stating that the then health secretary had issued a government order (GO numbered 351) in November 2023, mentioning that the bond period of non-service 2023 passed out postgraduates has been reduced from 2 years to one year. The bond amount was reduced from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. The same was asserted and reiterated by the DME.
"The government is supposed to relieve us after one year, as per the GO. If the authorities are willing to retain our services after the bond period of one year, they must make our jobs permanent and not employ us as contract workers," said Dr V Vignesh Rajendran, President of Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association.
However, as the bond period is coming to an end on October 30, 2024, the doctors have already applied for jobs in the private sector and are ready to join their new jobs as the bond tenure is over, but DME’s orders have halted their march.
"A few candidates are staying away from their hometowns to complete our bond service. Other candidates also have personal commitments to fulfill and a few more have to proceed for fellowship or superspecialty courses. It is unfair to exploit the bond period and use the non-service PGs as contract workers to fill the vacancies," said another member of TNRDA.
The PGs stated that those who are willing to continue service must be allowed to continue serving the government by proper regularisation.
They have urged the government to relieve them by the end of one year of bond service requesting them to process the experience certificate and the return of our original certificates at the earliest.