UP Bond MBBS Doctors Launch Protests and Work Boycott Over Pay Disparity

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery doctors serving under mandatory Uttar Pradesh government service bond rules staged a protest in Lucknow on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, demanding equal pay for equal work and the release of unpaid salary arrears. The demonstration led to a tense standoff and a clash with the police. Along with the street protests, the doctors announced a total work boycott. They stated that authorities have taken no real action or official decision despite earlier promises to resolve the glaring pay gaps. Animesh Kumar, a protesting doctor, explained the pay gap by pointing out that doctors posted at Primary Health Centres under the bond earn around ₹50,000. In contrast, batchmates with the same qualifications posted in government medical colleges earn much higher salaries in the level-10 pay scale, and doctors working at the same Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres through the National Health Mission earn over ₹1 lakh a month. Under Uttar Pradesh rules, students who finish their MBBS or BDS from state-run government medical colleges must complete a two-year compulsory service bond. Another doctor, Sukriti Pandey, said that Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brijesh Pathak had assured them on September 2, 2026, that the government would issue an official government order to fix the pay disparity, but no such order has been released. She noted that despite long-standing salary gaps, doctors had continued their duties and put patients first, but the lack of action after repeated peaceful protests, demonstrations, and meetings with officials caused deep frustration and anger. Political parties reacted sharply to the situation and the police response. Senior Samajwadi Party leader Sudhir Panwar condemned the police brutality against young doctors, including female doctors, and alleged that the agitation is part of a government strategy to disrupt the public health sector to make way for corporate takeovers. He promised that a Samajwadi Party government would fulfill the doctors' demands if formed in 2027. Senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Anil Yadav accused the ruling BJP of trying to destroy the trust of doctors in the public healthcare system. He stated that unfair pay hurts productivity and damages public health, claiming the BJP wants to help big private corporate players enter smaller towns and villages to profit from marginalised people.

Context

Compulsory bond service rules are commonly used by state governments in India to ensure trained medical graduates serve in rural or underserved public healthcare facilities for a set period. Public health systems rely heavily on these young doctors to staff primary and community health centres where doctor shortages are often high. Disputes over pay parity between bond doctors and regular or contract staff frequently trigger tension, as doctors with identical qualifications navigate different pay scales.