Medical students must serve government for a year to get certificates

Updated on: Monday, January 09, 2012

If the state has its way, medicine students will have to be in government service for a year before they receive their qualifying degrees.

In a bid to have enough number of qualified doctors in government hospitals, which is forever short of staff, the state’s medical education department plans to introduce changes in the existing laws that will compel students clearing their undergraduate (UG), post-graduate (PG) and superspecialty courses to work in a government institution before they get their degrees. The proposal says that the state government will issue only their mark sheets after the students complete their courses and their certificates will be handed over to them only after they complete the “compulsory government service”. Before that, they will be offered only provisional registration with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC); doctors are supposed to have permanent MMC registration to practice.

If the proposal is cleared, amendments to this effect will be made in the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences Act as well as in the Maharashtra Medical Council Act.

“We do not get enough number of doctors in government hospitals. If the new system is introduced, we will get around 3,000 qualified doctors at UG, PG and super-specialty level every year,” said a government official. “Several students exempt themselves from government services by re-paying the bond money. To curb the practice, the state has increased the bond amount, which will be applicable for the current batch, passing out.”

Minister for medical education Vijaykumar Gavit was unavailable for comment.

Pravin Shingare, in-charge, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research, confirmed that such a proposal was being considered. The idea was initially mooted by public health minister Suresh Shetty.

Under the current rule, students can either join government service for a year or pay a bond to exempt themselves from the service. The bond amount for UG students is Rs 10 lakh, for PG students Rs 50 lakh and for super-specialty students Rs 2 crore. Officials from medical colleges claim that several students even get away by neither working in government hospitals for a year nor paying the bond amount.

Medical students must serve government for a year to get certificates

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