Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Friday opposed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' suggestion that 10 years of service in rural areas should be made compulsory for medical graduates from government colleges in the state.

"The Chief Minister talks of compulsory 10 years bond service in rural areas after getting MBBS degrees. There is very strong opposition to this absurdity and we will oppose the move in the strongest possible manner," MARD President Dr Sagar Mundada said here. Fadnavis had yesterday proposed that all doctors must serve at least 10 years in rural areas on the lines of the pass-outs of Armed Forces Medical College, who have to serve seven years in the government.

He was addressing the concluding function of the silver jubilee celebrations of NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital in Nagpur. "We condemn the statement made by the CM in the strongest terms and hope that the government scraps the proposal within 15 days," Dr Mundada said. "Having adequate doctors is a good thing, but doing so without proper infrastructure, medical facilities and medicines is like sending an engineer to rural areas and asking him to build a dam with a screw driver in his hand," he said.

"This move will only promote more doctors to go abroad rather than stay back here and practise," Dr Mundada said. Since no such bonds required for private colleges, it will promote no so meritorious rich people to take admissions in private colleges that are run by politicians, the MARD President said.

Mundada said that the government should rather form a group of five people including a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, a management graduate and a financial expert for each village. "Let all of them work collectively and uplift that village rather than being only concerned about the health of people in rural areas," he said.