New T&C on cards for MD/MS pursuant in J&K

Srinagar, May 25: In the run-up to NEET-PG, MD/MS aspirants may be in for changed contours of medical education and healthcare delivery in J&K as the Government prepares to join 16 states and Union Territories where higher medical education comes with a bond.

J&K Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo said the Government was in the process of finalising the proposal for implementation of mandatory service bonds for MD pursuant doctors in J&K, in order to improve the availability of specialists here.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, Itoo said that the proposal was being finalised and that the Government had already announced its decision to make it mandatory for doctors to serve in J&K after pursuing their MD/MS from the Government Medical Colleges here. “We are very positive to make this change from this year itself as it is a much needed requirement in order to safeguard the interests of people of J&K and their healthcare needs,” she said.

In March this year, she announced in the Assembly that doctors pursuing MD/MS in J&K’s government medical colleges must serve the region post training. She emphasised, “They earn degrees on the money of our people,” and said that a bond with duration of 2–3 years, aligning with practices in other Indian medical colleges will be implemented here. The policy is under review, with rules being examined for final implementation, an official in health and medical education said.

J&K MD/MS aspirants and many other stakeholders in healthcare delivery have for long demanded that the Government introduce service bonds in order to have a better availability of specialists and improve healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas.

In J&K, 50 percent of MD/MS seats in GMCs are allocated to the All India Quota (AIQ). The total number of MD/MS seats in J&K GMCs is approximately 557 excluding PG Diploma seats. Roughly 279 seats are allocated to the AIQ, filled by aspirants from outside J&K, who usually leave after completing education.

The bonds are part of a contractual obligation where doctors are required to serve in government hospitals, rural healthcare facilities, or other designated institutions for a set duration, usually 1–5 years, after their education is complete. If they fail to do so, they are required to pay a bond amount as a penalty, usually , ranging from Rs five lakh to Rs 50 lakh, depending on the state, college, and specialisation.

The Supreme Court of India recently upheld the validity of service bonds, ruling that they are not a "restraint of trade", but consensual employment terms, allowing institutions to recover pre-estimated training costs as liquidated damages if graduates fail to fulfill service obligations.