The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded the rollback of the Haryana government's recent decision to hike fees in medical courses and introduce a 'bond' system, saying the decisions infringed upon the "right to education for all".
"Medical education necessarily has to be affordable and accessible to all sections of society. Everyone should get an opportunity to serve the nation and to achieve the goal of becoming a doctor," the association said.
For the unversed, the Haryana government had recently announced a humongous hike in the medical courses, which caused a big political and academic storm with the opposition parties joining the medical students and aspirants in the protests.
Not only the fees were raised by over 40 per cent, but candidates were also mandated to submit an annual "bond fee", taking the total cost to around Rs 10 lakh per year, and Rs 40 lakh for a four-year MBBS course at a government-run college. The students and politicians are demanding that the BJP-led alliance government in the state should take back its November 6 announcement.
"Medical courses like MBBS being subjected to this fee hike and bond system is utterly unfair. The government-run medical colleges have a fee structure of Rs 53,000 per annum, while private colleges charge Rs 12 lakh per annum. With the new policy, students seeking admission in MBBS courses will have to pay Rs 40 lakh the four-year MBBS course in government-run colleges," the IMA said.
The association also urged the medical fraternity, aspiring students and parents to oppose the move by the Haryana government. "The anti-poor, anti-people system will be resisted by the medical fraternity and the students. It is imperative that the students who dream of meritorious entry into government medical colleges and their parents raise their voice as well," it said.
The students' body of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had also condemned the move a few days ago, saying the Haryana government's policy did more harm than good to the medical aspirants of the state.
"As the country still struggles in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the medical profession which stands between life and death. The importance of this novel profession has been acknowledged the world over, but this policy by the Haryana government drives a stake through the heart of this sentiment. Equating education with money? Is that how the profession of medicine will be rewarded," the students' body had asked.
