The Karnataka Government will facilitate continuation of education of about 700 medical students of the State who have returned from Ukraine by accommodating them in 60 medical colleges here.
The decision was announced after a meeting between Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar and the students at Vidhana Soudha on Monday.
No additional fee
Clarifying that the students will not be officially absorbed into the colleges, the Minister said this measure is aimed to ensure that their learning and practice is continued till a solution is found. “No additional fee will be charged to the students,” he said.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Mr. Sudhakar said that a high-level committee has been formed comprising Principal Secretary and Director of Medical Education, RGUHS Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Directors, and Deans of some medical colleges. “The committee will look into all aspects considering the academic future of the students and submit a report to the State Government. Based on the report, the Government will request the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Union Government to take measures to protect the future of the students,” the Minister said.
“We are all hopeful and praying that the war will come to an end soon. We have to see what developments will take place in the future in Ukraine and make appropriate decisions based on the situation. We will also need to consider the mindset of students and take the best possible decision within the existing legal and regulatory framework,” he said.
On exorbitant fees
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters in Davangere, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the medical course offered in colleges in Ukraine was different to that offered by medical colleges in India. He noted that though the Government fee is low, medical education in the private sector is expensive. Even students who score more than 90% have not been getting seats in NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test). As the cost of seats in management quota and NRI quota is high, students look for other options.
“We are considering a proposal to categorise the seats into A, B and C categories to reduce the fee. The Medical Council of India decides the issues related to medical courses. A reconsideration is on in this regard,” Mr. Bommai said.
