The National Audit Office has revealed that doctors who have left the public service without settling their dues owe the state more than Rs. 1,277 million. According to a special audit report, the total amount outstanding as of October 31, 2024 includes unpaid bonds, fines, and loan advances.
The audit report has uncovered a sharp increase in the number of doctors resigning from government service for postgraduate studies, foreign employment, and other personal reasons—often without fulfilling their contractual obligations.
Between 2015 and the end of 2024, a total of 705 government doctors were found to have violated the terms of their service bonds, collectively owing Rs. 1,156 million to the State. In addition, 116 other officers owe a further Rs. 119 million, bringing the total to Rs. 1.27 billion.
The audit report has also pointed out that some foreign-trained specialist doctors also failed to return to the country after completing overseas training, despite signing agreements with the Ministry of Health to serve here for a stipulated period.
Recovery of dues from the doctors has been slow and ineffective, the report says.
The National Audit Office noted a rising trend of bond defaults among medical professionals and warned that weak enforcement mechanisms have led to delays in recovering public funds.
The report has recommended that the Ministry of Health take immediate steps to recover the outstanding amounts, strengthen its monitoring systems, and take disciplinary and legal action against defaulting officers to ensure accountability within the public health sector.