200% in 10 years: Fee hike crushes medical dreams of poor students.

The government had last year increased the fee for undergraduate medical and dental courses by 15%. This year, in a blow to poor but talented students, the fee has again been raised by 15% to 25% for government and private quota seats in private medical colleges.

An analysis shows there is over 200% hike in fee in 10 years. The fee for government quota seats at private medical colleges in 2006 was around Rs. 42,000. It has now crossed Rs 1,28 lakh for the 2020-21 academic year.

Interestingly, between 2006 and 2011, there was no government fee increase for government quota seats. The fee in government medical colleges also saw no major hike till 2017. But students were in for a shock in 2018-2019 when it went upfrom Rs 16,700 to Rs. 59,800.

A medical education department official defended the hike, saying the institutes need to pay salaries, upgrade labs and infrastructure.

Affordability is a core value of CMEPEDIA. Basis users can access the system for free. They can request sponsorship for paid courses and premium memberships. Accredited medical education which has been designed for postgraduates is made available to students too. Medical colleges do not need to pay for using CMEPEDIA as a planning tool.