Bond Proposed for Doctors, Medical Students Protest

The Panjab government has announced 1K additional posts in the Punjab Civil Medical Services to address the shortfall of doctors in hundreds of rural dispensaries in the state. In 2006, Panjab set up 1,186 rural dispensaries to bring basic medical services closer to villagers. In 2017, 129 dispensaries were transferred from the Rural Development department to the Health Dept. Many medical officers were reassigned to Primary Health Centres and Urban Health Centres, leaving the rural dispensaries understaffed and dysfunctional. Now over 600 rural dispensaries do not have a single medical officer and lack basic infrastructure. In a move aimed at addressing shortage of doctors, the Panjab govt has introduced a bond policy for students enrolling in medical and dentistry courses in state-run medical and dental colleges. The policy, which will come into effect from the academic session 2025-26, mandates that students either serve in govt healthcare facilities for two years after completing their degrees or pay a bond of USD 23K. However, amid widespread unrest over a recent hike in tuition fees and the introduction of a controversial bond policy, the Medical Student Association, Panjab, met Medical Education minister Dr. Balbir Singh at Government Medical College, Amritsar to register their protest. The student delegation submitted a memorandum demanding immediate withdrawal of the corrigendum issued by the Panjab govt on 13 Jun which implements a 5% annual fee increase and formalizes a compulsory service bond. Meanwhile on Panjab govt's 'War on Drugs', on 16 Jun, Panjab Bharatiya Janata Party president Sunil Jakhar has written to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, seeking a probe into the drug money trail and arrest of the end beneficiaries—politicians across party lines or officials. He said, ‘The drug cartels can’t thrive without patronage. It is imperative to follow the money in the drug money trail, without which the exercise to root out drugs from Panjab is not only futile but a farce as well. Arresting thousands of drug addicts and small players will not make much difference. The elephant in the room has to be addressed.’