Uttar Pradesh: Doctors will be soon be required to service in the public sector health centres, if a state medical committee has its way. This three-year mandatory tenure is envisaged for doctors pursuing PG and super speciality (DM, MCh) courses in government medical colleges in the state.

The proposal was arrived at after carefully contemplating the issue of maintaining teacher:pupil proportion in medical colleges. This proposal supposedly also serves the purpose of faculty appointment in new medical colleges, and specialists required for state provincial medical health services.

For the said purpose, students will have to commit themselves for the public sector health service by signing a bond of Rs 50 lakh from the next (2017) academic year. The bond will make the students liable to pay the amount, if they do not deliver to their legal commitment.

TOI quoted: Director general medical education Dr Virendra Tripathi said the proposal was given “in principle” approval by an expert committee which met to discuss “how to check brain drain and attract students towards teaching in state medical institutes”. The proposal would be placed before the state cabinet soon, he added.

“The state provides subsidised education to medical students in public interest. But most specialists either leave UP or opt for private sector, which defeats the purpose of free education. If someone has to go in for commercial ventures, he/she should pay for it,” Dr Tripathi added.

A senior officer, who was a part of drafting the proposal, implied that a lot of these students will get the post of senior residents, or lecturers in medical colleges. They may even be granted the post of a medical officer in district hospitals. In all cases, they will be required to join in a fixed time frame. They have no option but to pursue as per the signed bond agreement; failing which, they may even have to forego their degree.