After making a hefty increase in the MBBS (bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery) and BDS (bachelor of dental science) admission fee, the Punjab government now plans do it for the postgraduate (PG) medical courses as well.
Sources in the Punjab department of medical education and research (DMER) said here on Sunday that the government had constituted a committee for rationalising the PG admission fee. Even a notification about the constituting of this committee is out.
The committee will have Dr KK Talwar, health and medical education adviser to the Punjab government, as chairman. The vice-chancellor of the Baba Fari d University of Health Sciences, Faridkot; principal secretary for medical education and research; and Punjab director of medical education and research will be its members.
The committee will recommend fee hike for the MD (doctor of medicine), MS (master of surgery), MDS (master of dental science), and master of physical education courses. It is yet to hold a meeting.
In March, the state gover nment had increased the MBBS fee from to 2 lakh to 2.2 lakh for the first year, with a provision for 10% hike in each of the next four years. The annual fee will be 3.22 lakh by the final year. Private medical colleges had wanted the government to increase the annual charges to even 10 lakh, and had moved a proposal to the department of medical education last year.
{{/usCountry}}In March, the state gover nment had increased the MBBS fee from to 2 lakh to 2.2 lakh for the first year, with a provision for 10% hike in each of the next four years. The annual fee will be 3.22 lakh by the final year. Private medical colleges had wanted the government to increase the annual charges to even 10 lakh, and had moved a proposal to the department of medical education last year.
{{/usCountry}}The students, their parents, and voluntary health organisations opposed to the proposal, saying it will subvert merit. Of the 500-odd postgraduate seats in the government and private medical colleges of the state, nearly 250 are in the gover nment quota.
In the government colleges, the PG-course fee is 40,000, 45,000, and 50,000 for the first, second and final year, respectively. In the clinical branches of the private MS and MD courses, it is 5 lakh a year. For basic branches such as biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology, it is 2 lakh, and for postgraduate diploma 3 lakh.
For the MDS course, the annual charges are 4.5 lakh and for doctorate in medicine (super specialisation) 6 lakh. It is unclear if the government will increase the fee from the upcoming session or the next.