The Uttarakhand government announced plans to fill 300 vacant medical posts following the dismissal of 56 MBBS doctors who failed to fulfill bond obligations.
Doctors who graduated from government medical colleges under subsidized fee structures had signed bonds requiring five years of service in the state’s hilly districts.
Failing to honor the obligation required them to pay a prescribed sum (1 crore) and obtain a no-objection certificate to receive their education documents. The state identified 234 graduates who remained absent despite repeated notices, and 178 of them complied and returned to their duties. However, 56 did not respond to final warnings, resulting in their dismissal. The state has tasked the Director of Medical Education with recovering the amounts stipulated in the bonds.
In an earlier action in July 2025, the government dismissed 234 doctors for prolonged absenteeism and bond violations, directing recovery proceedings and forwarding their names to the National Medical Commission.
The government had already appointed 220 medical officers under the Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS) cadre and posted them in rural health centres. Still, approximately 300 posts remain vacant across the state's remote areas. Health Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat instructed the Uttarakhand Medical Services Selection Board (UKMSSB) to commence expedited recruitment to fill these positions. The move aims to improve healthcare access in hilly and underserved regions.
In parallel, the Uttarakhand High Court addressed a petition by doctors who had completed the mandatory three-year rural service bond and sought contract extensions. The court declined to direct an extension, noting that the bond mechanism was established during acute doctor shortages and now that most vacancies are filled, it cannot continue as a permanent mechanism. It observed that the state no longer faces an overall shortage of medical staff. However, the court allowed those doctors to submit individual requests to the Director General of Health Services for contractual continuation, which must be resolved within three months.
(Rh/Eth/TL/MSM)