While welcoming the State government’s decision to directly recruit doctors, the medical fraternity in Karnataka is irked by the “bond system” introduced in the gazetted rules for those who resign or remain absent for more than 30 days within six months of joining.
The State government on Tuesday notified the “Karnataka Directorate Health and Family Welfare Services (Recruitment of Senior Medical Officer/Specialists, General Duty Medical Officers -GDMO and Dental Health Officers) (Special) Rules 2020” for direct recruitment of 1,924 doctors. So far, the government had been recruiting doctors through the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).
A nine-member special recruitment committee headed by the Health Commissioner has been set up for the direct recruitment. The selection will be based on merit and corresponding reservation for each post, considering service years and category. The age limit is between 21 and 42, with the maximum age being 50 years on the date of applying. With several selected doctors in the past either having resigned from the government post within weeks of joining or remaining absent unauthorisedly, the government has not been able to fill the nearly 2,000 vacancies for years.
Now, the government has made it mandatory for candidates to sign an irrevocable undertaking on a judicial bond paper for payment of an amount. This shall be enforced if he/she resigns or remains absent for more than 30 days within six months of joining. While a selected candidate for the post of senior medical officer or specialist has to sign a bond of ₹10 lakh, a GDMO has to sign a bond of ₹5 lakh if he or she quits before six months of joining the service. Dental health officers have to sign a bond of ₹3 lakh for the same period. The government has categorised vacancies under 12 heads with payscales ranging between ₹52,000 and ₹1 lakh, depending on seniority.
Opposing the “bond system”, doctors from across specialities demanded that the government should drop the clause. “At a time when there are not many takers for government jobs, who will be ready to sign a bond and join? This will only desist even the few who may want to take up government posting,” said a senior government doctor.
G.A. Srinivas, president of Karnataka Government Medical Officers’ Association, said while direct recruitment was a much-needed move to fill up vacant posts, the “bond system” is not “welcome”. “The government should instead think of ways to attract more doctors. When there are several opportunities in the private sector, why would medical graduates furnish a bond and take up government service,” he said.
State Health Director Om Prakash R. Patil said the only intention of the “bond system” was to ensure that only those interested should join government service. “We do not want to penalise anyone. Our intention is that delivery of crucial health services should not be hampered. Earlier, if a doctor joined and resigned at short notice or remained absent, the post would be blocked. But now there will be a waitlist and the next eligible candidate will be recruited,” he added.
