The West Bengal government has fined 20 lakh rupees each to 31 resident doctors who did not serve in rural areas as per the state requirement.
As part of their degree requirements, doctors are mandated to serve in rural areas. Bond rules require that a resident doctor spend one year in a medical college and two years in a district and rural hospital. The state health department has designated special hospitals and departments for government medical college students.
This service is considered an integral part of medical education, and students are expected to work as senior resident doctors after completing postgraduate courses. Two years ago, the health department had issued a notification about this.
Now, after the department’s investigation, they have issued a formal notice naming the erring doctors, their respective bond postings and the medical colleges affiliated to them. The relevant medical superintendent and vice principal have also been informed for this action.
A top official of the health department expressed concern that senior citizens did not follow the rules of the bond and said, ‘Even after completing one year in the medical college, the question has arisen why senior citizens do not join the work in district hospitals or rural hospitals. As per bond rules. Before the punitive action was issued, the doctors were warned twice about the consequences of their non-compliance. Despite these warnings, they failed to improve the situation.
The list of doctors facing fines includes senior residents of prominent institutes such as Bankura Medical College, Burdwan Medical College, North Bengal Medical College, Purulia Medical College, Calcutta Medical College, NRS Medical College, and RG Kar Medical College.
Dr Manas Gumta, a member of the joint platform of professors of surgery and doctors, claimed that even though a fine of Rs 10 lakh per annum has been fixed for non-compliance with the bond rules, the responsibility of this issue ‘cannot be held by just one person’. Resident Doctors. He said that the hospital administration also has a role to play in releasing doctors after one year of service. Dr. Gumta suggested that there may be political influence in retaining some doctors and that blaming resident doctors without addressing “systemic issues” would not solve the problem.