NEW DELHI: Extending support to the protesting MBBS students in Haryana, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to the Haryana chief minister and health minister, demanding that the state scrap or modify the “atrocious” Rs 40 lakh bond policy mandated by the state for undergraduate medical courses.
In a strongly worded letter, the IMA said that they stand with the protesting doctors, who were allegedly manhandled by the police, who used water cannons on them and forcefully took them to the police station.
Describing the bond policy as “ill-framed, unfair and unjust,” the IMA, in its letter to Chief Minister ML Khattar, said, “We have taken note that the MBBS doctors and their families are being forced to bear an extreme financial burden owing to Rs. 40 lakh of the bond system being implemented in the state.”
Dr Jayesh Lele, honorary secretary general, IMA, in separate letters to the chief minister and Health Minister Anil Vij, said that this policy sabotages the aspirational career journey of young medicos who will be forced to work for seven years without any official provision for PG/diploma study in between.
“The policy also overlooks and fails to address the shortage of placement opportunities in the state itself and therefore makes the terms of the bond almost impossible to fulfil,” it said, and added, “This leads us to believe that the policy is not only framed without any brainstorming with stakeholders but also makes us question the competency of the policymakers who bring in such policies.”
Denouncing the states’ harshness on the demonstration by the medical students, IMA said, “The nation is in shock to note that while exercising the democratic rights to oppose such moves, the students became a victim of barbaric police action, wherein female doctors were manhandled, detained by the state police and the gathering was showered with water cannons on a cold night.”
The police action on the protest has also been slammed by the medical fraternity, including various associations like the Federation of All India Medical Association, Federation of Resident Doctor’s Association, Indian Medical Association-Medical Students’ Network and several state resident doctors’ associations, with many wearing black bands as a sign of protest, to work.
Lele said that IMA “stands in solidarity with the protesting doctors pan India and denounces the state’s harshness and oppressive act” and requested the chief minister to establish a “constructive discourse at the earliest to consider the legitimate demands” and the bond policy be scraped/modified to suit the government and students as per mutual consensus.
Behind the bond controversy