Students enrolling in postgraduate courses in private medical colleges may have to cough up a higher fee from the coming academic year as the government is likely to increase the fees by about 15%.
The hike is expected to be applicable to the government quota as well as the institutional quota seats in private medical colleges.
Medical Education Minister K.Sudhakar said that senior officials of the Medical Education Department had formed a committee and had conducted several meetings with different medical college associations and recommended a hike. “The State government will, however, take a call on the matter. I am likely to receive this file next week and take a call after studying the recommendations of the committee’s report,” he said. He added that he would meet with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and seek his advice on the matter.
‘Steep hikes’
But students say that the hike in postgraduate medical course fees has been steep year after year, making it difficult for those from middle class families.
Last academic year too, the State government had hiked the fees by 15% and it was applicable to private medical colleges as well as minority institutions. For the 2019-20 academic year, the fee structure was in the range of ₹72,737 to ₹5.81 lakh for government quota medical seats, while institutional quota seats were priced between ₹1.09 lakh and ₹8.72 lakh.
Students threaten strike
Subhashini S., a PG medical seat aspirant said, “If the fees are hiked then we will take up a Statewide agitation till the government rolls it back. Increasing fees every year is not acceptable.”
Another MBBS student, Anand S., who is hoping to secure a PG seat in dermatology, said medical students will be unable to bear the cost as the stipends provided to postgraduates was ‘meagre’.
The admission process for PG seats for students who have written the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is likely to begin in March and will be conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority. The State government is likely to enter into a consensual agreement with colleges later this week.
