DMER, MARD spar over release bonds

Accusing the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) of playing with the careers of post graduate doctors, MARD has said that despite promising to give release bonds that ensured that doctors would not be given jobs other than their specialty, DMER has failed to keep its promise as a result of which hundreds of doctors are jobless at the moment. DMER has, however, refuted the allegations and said that it was a ploy of a handful of doctors to pressurise the administration into signing their release bonds.

According to Dr Sagar Mundada, president, Central MARD hundreds of doctors who had completed their post graduate studies were jobless as they refused to take up jobs being offered by the government. “Doctors who have specialised in various fields are being asked to take up jobs as regular medical officers. As a result they either have to sacrifice their specialisation or stay jobless. In such a situation, MARD has demanded that DMER sign the release bonds of such doctors so that they can go for further studies or take up jobs where they can practice their specialisation,” said Dr Mundada, adding that DMER officials in a meeting with MARD in July 2015 had assured of signing release bonds if jobs as per the specialisation were not available. “There is no sign of DMER fulfilling that promise, hence MARD will protest outside the DMER office on Saturday. The banners will say ‘bonded with DMER’ to highlight their refusal to let us go our way,” said Dr Mundada.

Dr Pravin Shingare, director DMER said that the allegations by MARD were baseless and were being made at the behest of 10 doctors who wanted to go abroad or take up jobs in private hospitals. “DMER has assigned jobs to 1,200 doctors of which 1,190 have no complaints. It’s only the 10 doctors who have other plans who have been demanding release bonds,” said Dr Shingare.

He further said that the complaints were based on the fact that on joining the job, doctors of any specialty are offered the post of medical officer as that is the post approved by the government. However, MARD has been demanding that they be given posts like medical officer with the name of their specialty which is not possible. “The protests and objections of the MARD is excessive and does not hold ground, hence their release bonds have not been signed,” said Dr Shingare.