R doctors bonded labourers?-indian express(18.04.2008)

IN DIRE STRAITS - PG medical students feel cheated
Colleges demand money for returning original certificates
Chennai


Article Rank


ABOUT 250 post-graduate medical students, waiting for their final results, felt blackmailed as they had neither the jobs they have specialised in, nor their original certificates to pursue alternatives.

Worse still is their quandary as bonded victims since they are asked to pay back money in case they want their original certificates back. Medical college authorities were withholding their original certificates demanding either cash or suffer a long wait to find a vacancy.

Fifty percent of the seats in postgraduate courses are allotted for serv ice candidates (those who are working in Government medical centres), the rest are divided among candidates from Tamil Nadu and rest of India.

Many in the 2005-06 batch of nonservice doctors had joined the medical colleges in Tamil Nadu.

Dr Lakshmi (name changed) was one such person, who got merit based seats in many centres in the country.

But, three months after joining the Madras Medical College, she was given a bond to sign that stipulated that she had to work for the Government ``if required'', else pay three lakh rupees back to the Government. Fearing a loss of one year, the students signed the bond and now they feel cheated.

According to the list put up on the date of counselling, the vacancies available for qualified MD (general medicine) in nine districts is 9, whereas the total number of non-service PGs in general medicine is 110. Also, a letter from the office of the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine dated June 14, 2007 to all institutional heads, had stated: ``They (PG students) are not liable for placement/transfer to PHC side, since Government orders are issued exclusively for DME/DMS (diploma holders) only.'' According to some doctors, there was no sufficient infrastructure for speciality doctors to work in tertiary (third)level centres. Health Secretary V Subburaj, however said letters would be issued very soon