Low Enrolment in Pre, Para-Clinical NEET PG Seats- Medical Colleges Offer Incentives

Bengaluru: Amid low enrolment in the pre-clinical and para-clinical postgraduate medical courses, several medical colleges have started offering incentives to fill up these seats.

Despite the completion of two rounds of counselling, many medical colleges found no takers for these courses- especially in branches including anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, forensic medicine, microbiology, and pharmacology. In the case of private medical colleges, the fees for these courses range from Rs 1.1. lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh.

Amid this situation, medical colleges were seen offering a tuition fee waiver, free boarding and lodging, stipends, and jobs on course completion etc., TOI has reported.

Issuing a public notice on January 8, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre mentioned that the college has decided to offer a full tuition fee waiver for candidates allotted seats during counselling by KEA for all pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects- except for pathology and community medicine, for the academic year 2024-2025.

Also Read: Rajasthan Counselling Board Releases Provisional Vacant Seat Matrix for Round 2 PG medical admissions 2024

Apart from this, the college has also promised the students free accommodation, boarding, lodging, and payment of stipend at par with government medical colleges. 

Further, the college has also offered a job guarantee with a senior residency salary of around Rs 1.3 lakh per month. On the other hand, the college's condition does not even force the candidates to join the institute after completion of the course.

In these medical colleges, only three out of 20 community medicine seats have been filled. The college, which made a similar offer last year, could only fill up around four seats.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, several other medical colleges have offered similar benefits. Oxford Medical College Hospital and Research Centre has also offered a tuition fee waiver.

Commenting on this, Chairman Narasimha Raju said, "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."

"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, the Dean of BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences has expressed a similar opinion. He said, "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 a clinician. 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."

Meanwhile, commenting on the matter, the Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, MK Ramesh said, "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."

Also Read: NEET PG cut-off reduction will not impact medical education quality, says NMC Secretary