Maharastra: MBBS students of government and private medical colleges have to sign a contract to serve in the rural areas for a year after completing the degree. The rural service contract after the MBBS degree will no more have the penalty escape option. Every medical student admitted to the government medical college or private medical college will now have to complete their one-year rural service agreement anyhow, prior to this they used to skip this service by paying the fine.
On Tuesday, Maharashtra’s Medical Educational department issued a Government Resolution (GR) announcing that this decision will be applicable for all those students taking admission to MBBS academic year 2022-23. MBBS students of government and private medical colleges will have to sign a contract to serve in rural areas of Maharashtra state for a year after obtaining their degree.
The rural service contract is also known as the ‘social responsibility service’, it’s a 12-month mandatory internship for all MBBS students in which different hospitals or health centres within rural areas will be allotted to the medical students.
Students from the academic year 2004-05 to 2007-08 who failed to do so paid a hefty amount of fine, which was Rs 5 lakh. However, this was increased to Rs 10 lakh subsequently. “The provision of completing MBBS education from government and civic-run institutes, without completing the social responsibility service by paying a penalty, is henceforth being cancelled,” the GR states.
The Government Resolution (GR) interprets that the government spends a huge amount on students’ education both in government and private medical colleges in comparison to the fees charged at these institutes. The Payment comes from the tax collected from the general public and the rural service agreement is a form of social responsibility for the medical students.
“It has been observed that after completing MBBS several students skip the rural-service bond by paying the fine. However, in the background of the Covid-19 pandemic exigency of additional medical force has come to the fore following which the state was mulling over making the rural-service bond mandatory,” the GR further states.
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