Shillong, Aug 19: Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh today said that the state government is considering the proposal to increase the bond for MBBS students.
“Whether to increase the bond or not is a matter that we are still considering,” Lyngdoh told reporters today.
The bond applies to students who undertake their MBBS studies under the Meghalaya quota in other states. A persistent problem is getting these doctors, when qualified, to come back and serve Meghalaya in rural areas. In many cases doctors either pay the bond to get out of service or skip both.
Lyngdoh’s statement came after the recent demand of the Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) to take strong action against MBBS students who have not returned to serve the state after completing their studies.
The pressure group also proposed to increase the bond to Rs 1 crore from the 2026-27 academic year.
The HYC quoted an RTI report showing that between 2015-16 and 2019-2020 the state government allocated funds to 359 MBBS students but 96 have not returned to fulfil the terms of the bond.
Lyngdoh said that with the establishment of the Meghalaya Medical Registration Council, the situation has improved and students now need to register with the State Board after completing their MBBS.
She also said that the bond amount has been increased in previous years. “Of course, at one time the students had to pay Rs 34-35 lakh and it has been increased to Rs 40-45 lakh but we have seen that the students do not care about signing the bond. It is not a matter of being burdened with the bond but it is a way to guide the students of Meghalaya,” Lyngdoh said.
However, she stressed that there should be encouragement for the students of the state to return home and serve their own people instead of feeling indebted.
