Students who want the benefit of subsidised medical education in the Government medical college need to provide two sureties.
The candidates who are opting for the subsidised education need to enter into a three-year-bond with the State Government with two sureties.
Under the provisions of the bond, the candidates after completion of their studies need to serve for three years in the mountainous areas and in lieu of it the Government provides a hefty subsidy in the fees of these candidates. The candidates who enter into a bond with the state government need to submit an annual fee of Rs 50000 while those who don't wish to enter the bond are required to deposit a fee of Rs 4 lakh.
It is worth mentioning here that in absence of stringent conditions many medicos after passing out from the colleges break the bond signed with the government with gay abandon.
The state government first entered into a bond of five years with the I year MBBS students of Vir Chandra Singh Garhwali Medial college, Srinagar in the year 2008. A total of 170 students entered into bond with the government but later it was revealed that as many as 40 medical officers absconded after joining duties.
What is more intriguing that the government failed to take any substantial action against the absconding doctorsIJ The state government now has relaxed the period of bond from five years to three years. The senior doctors of the state health service believe that terms of the bond should be stringent enough so that the medicos don't dare to break it after passing out from the medical colleges.
Many parents however are pained at the compulsion of surety. Mange Ram a resident of Uttarkashi told The Pioneer that he and his family members were elated when their son was selected for admission in the medical college but to manage two sureties with papers of properties worth twenty lakh each sapped all energy. "People misunderstood surety for loan guarantor and backed off. Finally one of my friends came forward to help me. I would be indebted to him all my life,'' he said.
Sanjay Garg, father of Vrinda Garg who got admission in Government Doon Medical College said that many poor parents are finding it hard to find sureties. He said that the government should remove the clause of Rs 20 lakh worth immovable property in the name of surety, from the bond. He questioned, "When according to the terms of bond the MBBS degree would remain in possession of the government till end of the bond period, then what is the need of such a clauseIJ" Another parent said that the property the papers of which a surety needs to mention should be free from loan.
When contacted, the director Medical education Dr Ashutosh Sayana said that the concept of surety and its terms were set up by the government to ensure that the candidates don't evade the period of bond. On question of providing relaxation in the norms, he said that it is the State Government to decide.