Bengaluru: With pre-clinical and para-clinical courses in postgraduate medical admissions finding no takers, medical colleges are sweetening their offers. Many have promised tuition fee waiver, free boarding and lodging, stipends, and jobs on course completion to lure students this year as well.
Even after two rounds of counselling were completed, many colleges had zero intake in these programmes. The branches include anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, forensic medicine, microbiology, and pharmacology. The fee ranges from Rs 1.1 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh at private colleges.
A public notice from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, dated Jan 8, states the college has decided to provide full tuition fee waiver for candidates allotted seats during counselling by KEA for all pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects, except pathology and community medicine, for 2024-25. The college has also promised free accommodation, boarding, and lodging. A stipend will be paid in line with govt standards. There’s also a job guarantee with senior resident salary of around Rs 1.3 lakh a month. At the same time, there will be no obligation for the candidates to join the institution after course completion.
Of the 20 seats, three in community medicine are filled so far this year. The college, which made a similar offer last year, could attract only around four students in these courses.
Several other colleges have also come up with similar offers. Oxford Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre has also offered a tuition fee waiver if it gets students. “After the eligibility was reduced by NMC (National Medical Commission) to 15% for the general category, we decided to waive tuition fees. We’re willing to give Rs 30,000, Rs 35,000, and Rs 40,000 over the three years as stipend,” said chairman Narasimha Raju.
“We aren’t able to get pre- and para-clinical teachers. Anatomy has the biggest scarcity. Therefore, we want to encourage students to take this up. It’s a very good opportunity for students as the eligibility was also reduced. There is a huge demand for teachers in these programmes when compared to clinical programmes,” he added.
Dr ME Mohan, dean of BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, agreed: “We have 26 seats and nothing is filled in the first two rounds. Nobody is willing to join these programmes as everyone wants to become clinicians. Hardly 10-15% seats get filled up in govt colleges and much less in private colleges. But these are foundation courses. We’re willing to appoint them immediately after they graduate.”
“It is a win-win situation for both students and colleges that they waive off fees. Students are encouraged to take the subject and the colleges can recruit them after the end of studies. Colleges across the state are facing a faculty crisis in these subjects,” said MK Ramesh, vice-chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.
