‘No stipend for students who fail to submit sureties’
CHENNAI, AUGUST 03, 2019 00:00 IST
HC told their studies won’t be affected
The State government has decided not to disrupt the studies of postgraduate medical degree and diploma course students who fail to submit, within three months, sureties from two government employees along with bonds for Rs. 40 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh respectively to assure that they would serve the government for two years after completing the course in government colleges.
Advocate-General Vijay Narayan told Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad of the Madras High Court that the defaulters would not be paid stipend for the entire period of study if they do not submit the sureties. The stipend would be paid in lump sum after completing the course if the doctors agree to be in government service for two years.
When the senior judge in the Division Bench questioned how the government could force doctors to work only for it and not take up jobs in private hospitals, the A-G said the State spends around Rs. 2 crore to educate every postgraduate medical student. Hence, it becomes their bounden-duty to serve the poor and needy who approach government hospitals. The submission was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by T.K. Saravanan of Chennai, through his counsel S. Ayyathurai, against the insistence on submitting sureties from government servants.
The petitioner feared that students who could not obtain such sureties might face the threat of being asked to quit studies midway. However, after the A-G assured the court that the fears were unfounded, the judges wanted the assurance to be filed in the form of an affidavit by Tuesday. They sought details regarding the vacancy position of government doctors by then so that appropriate directions could be issued.
In a counter affidavit that had already been filed in reply to the PIL petition, A. Sugavanam, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, stated that there were 24 government medical colleges in the State and 48 government hospitals attached to medical colleges. There were also 29 district headquarters hospitals and 1,806 primary health centres (PHCs).
In order to serve them, the government had made it mandatory for government doctors who want to pursue post graduation, under a special quota for them, to undertake to serve the government till their retirement.
It also requires non service doctors to serve the government for two years in non scarce specialities and for five years in scarce specialities. Pointing out that none of the doctors had refused to give such a bond so far, the court was told that even the present PIL petitioner was an advocate by profession and not a doctor.
The government also expressed concern over a majority of doctors refusing to serve the poor in government hospitals after pursuing postgraduate courses in government colleges.
“During the past five years, the government has given posting orders for 338 non-service candidates after the completion of post graduate degree/diploma courses but only 228 had joined. Further, 20 candidates left service before completing the tenure and 110 did not turn up,” the counter read.
The State spends around Rs. 2 crore to educate every postgraduate student. Hence, it is their duty to serve those who approach government hospitals
Vijay Narayan
Advocate-General
CHENNAI, AUGUST 03, 2019 00:00 IST
HC told their studies won’t be affected
The State government has decided not to disrupt the studies of postgraduate medical degree and diploma course students who fail to submit, within three months, sureties from two government employees along with bonds for Rs. 40 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh respectively to assure that they would serve the government for two years after completing the course in government colleges.
Advocate-General Vijay Narayan told Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad of the Madras High Court that the defaulters would not be paid stipend for the entire period of study if they do not submit the sureties. The stipend would be paid in lump sum after completing the course if the doctors agree to be in government service for two years.
When the senior judge in the Division Bench questioned how the government could force doctors to work only for it and not take up jobs in private hospitals, the A-G said the State spends around Rs. 2 crore to educate every postgraduate medical student. Hence, it becomes their bounden-duty to serve the poor and needy who approach government hospitals. The submission was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by T.K. Saravanan of Chennai, through his counsel S. Ayyathurai, against the insistence on submitting sureties from government servants.
The petitioner feared that students who could not obtain such sureties might face the threat of being asked to quit studies midway. However, after the A-G assured the court that the fears were unfounded, the judges wanted the assurance to be filed in the form of an affidavit by Tuesday. They sought details regarding the vacancy position of government doctors by then so that appropriate directions could be issued.
In a counter affidavit that had already been filed in reply to the PIL petition, A. Sugavanam, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, stated that there were 24 government medical colleges in the State and 48 government hospitals attached to medical colleges. There were also 29 district headquarters hospitals and 1,806 primary health centres (PHCs).
In order to serve them, the government had made it mandatory for government doctors who want to pursue post graduation, under a special quota for them, to undertake to serve the government till their retirement.
It also requires non service doctors to serve the government for two years in non scarce specialities and for five years in scarce specialities. Pointing out that none of the doctors had refused to give such a bond so far, the court was told that even the present PIL petitioner was an advocate by profession and not a doctor.
The government also expressed concern over a majority of doctors refusing to serve the poor in government hospitals after pursuing postgraduate courses in government colleges.
“During the past five years, the government has given posting orders for 338 non-service candidates after the completion of post graduate degree/diploma courses but only 228 had joined. Further, 20 candidates left service before completing the tenure and 110 did not turn up,” the counter read.
The State spends around Rs. 2 crore to educate every postgraduate student. Hence, it is their duty to serve those who approach government hospitals
Vijay Narayan
Advocate-General
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