MUMBAI: Nearly 1,500 postgraduate doctors from the state’s government colleges who completed their MD/MS and diploma are still awaiting their bond allotment after their results were announced last month. The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) has extended the bond allotment date twice.
Doctors claimed that during the peak of the pandemic last year, they were allotted postings a day after results. This year, their results were out on September 15. These doctors are posted as speciality medical officers or senior residents in government- and civic-run hospitals or at public health centres based on vacancies.
The DMER was to allot bond duty on September 28, but rescheduled it to October 5. In a fresh circular issued on Tuesday, the allotment date has been pushed to October 11.
Some of the doctors claimed that due to the delay in allotment, they are unable to join any other organisation. “There are vacancies, but we are bound to serve in government facilities after PG. We cannot join another organisation and leave in a month as the bond duty is allotted. Moreover, after our postgraduate residency ended on June 31, we are not eligible for stipends. Many of us rely on the stipends as our only source of income,” said a doctor from Sion Hospital.
A DMER official said the schedule had to be revised as the seat matrix changed. “Last year, some allotments were delayed, and their terms are getting over now. These posts are getting added to the vacant list and the seat matrix is changing, leading to a minor delay. We need to give everyone an equal opportunity to choose from the available posts based on their merit. If some desirable post opens later, meritorious candidates may lose the chance to opt for it,” said the official. A student from Nair Hospital said that in the past, vacant seats arising later were added to the seat matrix for the second or third round.
Bond service is allotted based on merit — on the scores obtained in the final postgraduate exams. In the first seat matrix issued by the directorate, 799 posts were vacant for the senior residents in government and corporation colleges, 259 for speciality medical officer (SMO) posts in BMC’s peripheral hospitals, 235 in SMO posts in municipal corporations, excluding BMC.
