Patiala, June 30 -- Accusing the Punjab government of making medical education unaffordable, resident doctors and MBBS interns of government medical colleges in Punjab have announced to shut down outpatient department (OPD) services across the state from Monday. Medical services in all three tertiary healthcare institutes in the state are likely to be hit, but emergency services would remain functional, they said. The Punjab government's recent move to impose a Rs.20 lakh bond on MBBS students and a significant hike in the tuition fees has prompted the doctors to go on the strike. HT had on June 19 reported about the state government's bond policy for the students seeking admission to MBBS and BDS courses in government medical and dental colleges, aiming at addressing the acute shortage of doctors in the state. As per the new policy, the MBBS students admitted from the academic session 2025-26 onwards will have to either serve in government health institutions for two years after completing their course or pay a bond amount of Rs.20 lakh. For the students taking admission under the all-India quota, the period is reduced to one year of government service. The state medical education department has increased the tuition fees by 5% for the upcoming academic session. The Punjab government claimed that the hike was a regular exercise as per the 2020 notification issued by the medical education department. In all, if hostel and mess fees are included, a student needs at least Rs.13-14 lakh to don the white coat. Prior to the decision of holding of protest, a delegation of resident doctors representing the Government Medical Colleges in Patiala and Amritsar besides Guru Gobind Singh Medical College & Hospital in Faridkot, under the Forum of Resident Doctors, Punjab, on Sunday had held a meeting with principal secretary of medical education & research. In the meeting, the delegation conveyed the "unjust" burden of the "unconstitutional" bond policy and the "exorbitant fee hike", demanding immediate rollback. The doctors also demanded hike in stipends for resident doctors and interns, linking stipend structure with the current dearness allowance (DA) index, reinstatement of the non-practicing allowance (NPA) for PCMS doctors and non-compliance of government hospitals' administration with National Medical Council's SOPs. The government has sought two-week time to address the issues, the Forum of Resident Doctors said. Dr Milanpreet, member, RDA Patiala, said, "The fee hike and introduction of bond policy for MBBS interns should immediately be rolled back. Instead of hiking stipend of MBBS interns and resident doctors, which is the lowest among the neighbouring states, the government is hiking fees, making it impossible for the students from humble backgrounds to fulfil their dreams to don the white coat."...