New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The Indian Medical Council (IMC) has extended its support to the MBBS students at PGIMS Rohtak who are protesting against the bond policy for MBBS admission in Haryana.
As per the bond policy, an amount of Rs 40 lakh has to be deposited by an MBBS student which will be refunded only after seven years of service and if the student fails to serve for this period, he or she will have to forfeit the bond amount.
“IMA stands with the protesting doctors of Haryana and denounces the state’s harshness and oppressive actions,” IMA said in a statement on Wednesday.
The medical body has also requested Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar that a constructive discourse must be established to consider the legitimate demand, and that the bond system be scraped/modified to suit the government and the students alike.
The MBBS students of PGIMS Rohtak are protesting against the state government’s bond policy for taking admission in government medical colleges.
“The nation is in shock to note that while exercising the democratic rights to oppose such moves, students became a victim of barbaric police action, where female doctors were manhandled and detained by the state police and the gathering was showered with water cannons on a cold night,” the IMA satement read.
Such treatment by the state government is deeply discouraging, reprehensible and reflects an insensitive and callous attitude and is disrespect to democratic, peaceful protest, the statement added.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has also written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, drawing his attention towards the bond policy of Haryana government.
“The bond policy introduced by Govt Of Haryana not only questions the merit, but also takes away the dream of becoming a doctor from poor economically backward aspirants. There is no doubt in the fact that such policy will not only dilute the quality of medical education but will also hamper the health services in the state”, the DMA said in the letter.
The DMA has requested Mandaviya to address the issue of agitating students and making necessary changes in the policy which suits the interest of both the future doctors and patient care.
