‘Can you give all the doctors in India a job?’ Bombay HC takes doctors side and questions Central Govt. over ban on NORI certificates for doctors wanting to study abroad
In a strong show of support for doctors and their future on Thursday, the Bombay High Court had a very sharp question for the Central Government, “Do you have enough jobs for doctors?” The HC is currently hearing a petition from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) over the Centre’s decision to not issue “No Obligation to Return to India” (NORI) certificates to doctors. MARD’s Central wing filed this petition against the Centre’s decision, calling it a “violation of their fundamental rights.”
The NORI certificate is compulsory for doctors wanting to practice abroad and by non-issuance of this certificate the government has put a ban on doctors going abroad.
The bench has cracked down hard on the government and has questioned its ability to provide a job for every doctor in the country. Both the Centre and the MCI have been given seven days to respond.
The counsel for the Union of India in an earlier statement, termed the MARD petition as a “premature one”. The court asked them to put it in writing that the NORI certificates had not been stopped but the counsel said they would need some time to respond. Earlier this month, Health Minister JP Nanda had announced that the NORI certificate would not be issued under any circumstances except for doctors above 65 years of age.
This decision angered doctors across the country who compared themselves to IIT and IIM graduates who don’t have any such restriction and can go to any part of the world to work, setup businesses and not need any similar NORI certificate. Additionally, the education for such students is heavily subsidised as well, then why were doctors being targeted they asked.
The court has criticized the government for taking such a huge decision without consulting the MCI and now, the MCI is being brought in to this petition as well and has been asked to submit its views on this serious matter. The court rightly pointed out that doctors go abroad to avail better facilities for study that they didn’t get in India and such a ban was uncalled for. Furthermore the court was quoted as asking the Centre, “Should the Government of India rise to the level of US or do you want to bring the doctors to the level of government of India,”
Dr Sagar Mundhada, president of MARD, welcomed the court’s intervention. “The issue is important to us as it deals with our future. It is wrong for the government to come up with such a blanket ban for doctors,” he said
The support received for the MARD initiative from the Bombay HC is a welcome breath of fresh air even as doctors are fighting for their rights all across the country. A ruling in favour of doctors that drops the NORI ban would allow Indian doctors to study abroad without having to deal with this additional pressure.
Original Story – Mumbai Mirror
This is just a vote bank politics. If government is so concerned for brain drain then why doctors only.
NORI certificate in my opinion should be given to every eligible doctor seeking it.
However, they should also make arrangements for return government subsidies that have been granted to them during the period of study, in any.
This should be made applicable to all streams of education. Then it would be fair & equal.
Brain drain is excuse. What is for open merit people .it is only frustration and shame when your juniors ,far inferior to you become your seniors by both reservation in recruitment and promotion .
However politicians and bureaucrats responsible for this get best treatment in world in big private hospitals and abroad on our taxes . They keep reservation for vote bank and frustrated doctors in govt run hospitals.
Let open merit people go abroad and prosper . Do not torture them any more