Gujarat Doctors Slam Fee Hike for MBBS, PG Medical Courses, Urge CM to Roll Back Decision

Gandhinagar: A recent fee hike in MBBS and PG medical courses announced by the Medical Fee Regulation Committee of the Gujarat government has sparked backlash from the doctors.

The Gujarat Chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has submitted a letter to Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel to withdraw the circular indicating a fee hike for undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses in the state for the academic years 2025–26 and 2026–27.

The circular, issued on June 3, 2015, declares a 10 to 12 percent increase in the annual fee structure for undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs under government, self-financed, and management quotas for the said academic years.

Previously, Medical Dialogues reported that the revised fee structure would apply for the next two years, and it will cover 19 MBBS and 10 MD-MS medical colleges across Gujarat. The cost of medical education would increase around Rs 1 lakh for government quota seats and up to Rs 1.5 lakh for the management quota seats. The fee for MD-MS courses under the government quota has increased by around Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per year. For the management quota, the hike is even higher- between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4 lakh annually.

Taking to Medical Dialogues, Dr. Mehul J Shah, President of Indian Medical Association Gujarat stated that while the state government has undertaken commendable initiatives in recent years to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure, such as expanding the number of medical colleges, increasing medical seat availability, and enhancing accessibility to healthcare services in remote areas- this abrupt fee hike has overshadowed the progress made.

The revised fee structure is being seen as a barrier to medical education for many deserving and talented students. Students and their families, already grappling with financial constraints, have expressed their frustration and concern that such an increase will deter meritorious candidates from pursuing a career in medicine.

In the letter, the association mentioned, “Due to this increase, all the talented students will be deprived of medical education, which will be a matter of concern for the future of the students and their families. IMA Gujarat requests you to immediately cancel the fee structure by keeping a comprehensive financial plan for medical students, parents, and medical education in mind. On behalf of the entire Gujarat medical community and all the students and parents of Gujarat, we are requesting you to urgently bring a just solution to this issue.”