a day ago
Punjab: MBBS dreams hit fund crunch wall for students from humble backgrounds
Neeraj Kumar cracked NEET-UG, and his marks (493/720) were enough to secure him a seat at Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala, achieving the first part of his dream to become a doctor. The Punjab government recently hiked the fee by 5%, claiming it was a routine revision in accordance with a 2020 notification issued by the medical education department. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
But just when the son of a farm labourer reached the finish line, Neeraj was hit by an insurmountable hurdle — ₹1.8 lakh admission fee.
Neeraj hails from Shergarh village in Abohar and says his father's daily earnings are barely enough to sustain the family.
'Currently, we don't have the money to pay the fees. We will have to borrow money if someone gives,' he told HT.
His mother is a homemaker, and there are no savings to fall back on. He is not alone; the same is the case with a meritorious school pass-out, Ashwani (564 marks), from Bazidpur Kattianwali village in Abohar. He secured admission at GMC, but his father, a tailor, is unable to pay the high fees.
Likewise, Harvinder Singh (429 marks) from Faridkot, whose mother is an ASHA worker and father a contractual teacher, is also struggling to arrange the funds to join the college.
All three, belonging economically weaker section, are struggling to arrange money because MBBS fees in Punjab are among the highest. The tuition fee alone is over ₹10 lakh, and if one includes hostel, books and other expenses, the total cost of the five-year course comes close to ₹15 lakh.
The Punjab government recently hiked the fee by 5%, claiming it was a routine revision in accordance with a 2020 notification issued by the medical education department.
Currently, Punjab fees are the highest compared to neighbouring states and UTs, including Haryana, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The tuition fee in Himachal Pradesh's government medical colleges is around ₹3.19 lakh for the entire course, while Haryana charges about ₹4.5 lakh.
Slamming the government for making medical education unaffordable in the state, Dr Raman, president, Resident Doctors' Association, GMC, said, 'We have been strongly opposing the exorbitant fees. Meritorious students from humble backgrounds can't afford medical education. The Punjab government should review the MBBS and PG course fees in the state, as they are the highest in the region.'
As of now, there is no Punjab government policy to support meritorious students in pursuing higher education.
'There is no policy to help meritorious students pursue higher education, especially MBBS,' admitted a senior Punjab education department official. 'However, students from the reserved category (SC) can avail of scholarships under the BR Ambedkar Scholarship scheme.'
Punjab education minister Harjot Bains also admitted to the lacuna: 'Currently, there is no government scheme for any financial help for MBBS students from economically weaker sections. But we will try to help needy students.'
