By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 16, 2019: Odisha government Friday revised the Medical Bond Policy to contain the trend of medical students leaving the state after completing their PG and Super Specialist courses from State-run medical colleges.

As per the revised policy, MBBS students of government medical colleges and hospitals in Odisha will henceforth be bound to remain in the state for at least two years after completing their PG or Super Specialist courses, Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das told the media here.

“If any student is found to have left the state after completing the PG or Super Specialist course, he/she will have to pay a hefty penalty. While a PG student will have to pay a fine of Rs 1.5 crore, a Super Specialist student will have to cough up a fine of Rs 2 crore,” he added.

Earlier the penalty amount was Rs 36 lakh for students who leave the state after completing the courses here.

The bond policy is compulsory for all candidates taking admission in government medical colleges, either under the State quota or the all-India quota in postgraduate medical or dental courses.

The minister said that the new policy will come into effect from this year. More than 4,000 posts of doctors are lying vacant in several government hospitals in the state.