Tightening its noose on defaulting doctors, the state Health Department is planning to serve a final notice to those who have defaulted on the bond signed with the Government. The state Government has also come down heavily on doctors who don’t report for work in rural areas by withholding their pay.

The Government had shortlisted around 250 doctors who had violated the bond by not coming back to the state to serve under the state Government. These doctors had availed the state medical quota and scholarship to pursue their studies after signing a bond with the Government that they would come back and work under the Government after completing their MBBS.

However, the Government realised that most of them didn’t come back to the state and those who had come back were working in private health institutions. The Health Department sent notices to 250 doctors to return the bond money, but only 18 of them responded.

Director of Health Service (DHS-IM) K H Lakiang said that after the Assembly elections, the department will send a final notice to the doctors who have not responded to the notice. He told The Indian Express that if the doctors don’t respond, the department would suggest filing of cases against them.