Sudden fee hike worries doctors

Postgraduate doctors were worried on the first day of counselling as most of them would find it difficult to collect the enhanced fee of `21 lakh for the courses.

The government at the last minute doubled the fees to `7 lakh for each year, catching the doctors off-guard. Meritorious students are not sure if it will be worth doing the course at such a high fee.

There are 1,400 seats in 14 specialties and the fixed deposit certificate of `21 lakh has to be submitted after counselling.

Dr K.N. Vishnu, president of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association, said, “The government order has been released at the last minute and we have no time to approach courts for relief. Many students will not be able to afford the high fee.”

Junior doctors stated that in these times of pandemic they cannot avail of loans either from banks or even from relatives.

Dr K. Vijender, a senior resident, said , “We were able to get cancellations in 2017. After that, the government has declared the fee hike at the last minute as a tactic. This gives students no time to go to court. Ultimately, meritorious students will not be able to pay and only those who can pay who will opt for the courses. How can they expect the healthcare systems to improve in these conditions?”

GOVERNMENT at the last minute doubled the fees to `7 lakh for each year, catching the doctors off-guard. Meritorious students are not sure if it will be worth doing the course at such a high fee.