Nagpur, 28 May (HS): The

Maharashtra government has temporarily suspended the mandatory MBBS

bond-service requirement for postgraduate (PG) medical admissions, offering

relief to aspiring candidates. The directive will remain on hold until further

notice, as per an official notification issued by the Medical Education

Department.

Under current

provisions, MBBS graduates can now enroll for MD, MS, or PG diploma courses

without completing their bond-service obligations. Previously, only those

appearing for the NEET PG exam for the third time were required to have

completed their government-mandated internship.

“The 2017 Maharashtra

Government Resolution requiring MBBS graduates to complete their bond service

before joining PG courses has been put on hold till further orders,” the latest

circular stated.

According to the

original rule, candidates were barred from PG admissions unless they had

completed the specified tenure of government service during their MBBS

training. The current notification, however, suspends that requirement for the

time being.

This development comes

after the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) Maharashtra,

representing 2019 batch students who recently completed their internships,

approached the state medical education department, seeking clarity on the

implementation of the rule.

The delay in

enforcing the bond-service policy has long been a point of contention among

medical graduates due to the shortage of placements at Rural Health Centres

(RHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). Many students across India have faced

prolonged waiting periods due to a backlog in postings.

The

bond-service mandate was originally introduced in 2017, aimed at making rural

service compulsory for those seeking admission to PG and super-specialty

medical courses. Although the state had planned to begin strict implementation

from the academic year 2019-20, it has remained largely unexecuted.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar