Medical education in govt colleges set to be costlier

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 14

Students studying at the two Government Medical Colleges at Shimla and Tanda will have to pay higher fees for their education as a high-level committee has proposed enhancement in the medical fee structure, to make it analogous with private medical colleges.

The nod for increase in the fees at the two government medical colleges - Indira Gandhi Medical College at Shimla and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra — will be subject to Cabinet nod. In case the state government decides to go ahead with the enhanced fee structure at two old medical colleges, then the fee will automatically be higher even at the three new government medical colleges at Nahan, Chamba and Hamirpur and the fourth one at Ner Chowk in Mandi district.

The recommendations made by the committee headed by the Chief Secretary will be placed before the Cabinet at its next meeting. The other members of the committee include the Principal Secretary (Health) and Director, Medical Education.

Sources in the Health Department said that the decision to enhance the fee had also been prompted by the fact that till now there are no takers for the 15 paid seats under the NRI quota at the Nahan Medical College for which admissions have been completed for the first time this session.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur too confirmed the move to enhance the fee at all the government medical colleges. He said that the recommendations of the committee assigned the task of examining the medical colleges fee structure will be placed before the Cabinet. “The fee could be enhanced from the present Rs 45,000 for one semester to about Rs 70,000 in all the government medical colleges, including the four new ones,” said Thakur.

It is also learnt that the high level committee has proposed enhancement in the charges for the paid seats under the NRI quota at the proposed government medical colleges. Presently, the fee for one year has been fixed at Rs 12 lakh but the committee has recommended that this must be enhanced to Rs 15 lakh for all government medical colleges.

The existing medical colleges at Shimla and Tanda in Kangra have 100 seats each. Recently, there was a lot of controversy over the fee being charged at a private medical college - Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College in Solan district.