Medical college students protest bond coverage, price hike in Punjab
Amid widespread unrest over a current hike in tuition charges and the introduction of a controversial bond coverage, the Medical Pupil Affiliation (MSA), Punjab, met with medical training minister Dr Balbir Singh at Authorities Medical School, Amritsar, on Friday to register their protest.
The scholar delegation submitted a memorandum demanding instant withdrawal of the corrigendum issued by the Punjab authorities on June 13, 2025. The corrigendum, which implements a 5% annual price enhance and formalises a obligatory service bond, has triggered protests throughout the state’s medical establishments.
“With charges hovering to ₹2.49 lakh yearly for presidency quota college students and ₹14.94 lakh for personal administration quota, we’re left to outlive on a ₹15,000 stipend — the bottom within the area,” stated Dr Archit Bawa of the MSA. “If a price hike is justified yearly, why doesn’t the stipend enhance by the identical logic?”
Calling the coverage “insensitive and unjust,” college students argued it could make medical training inaccessible for college students from low-income households. Many identified that whereas the state authorities takes pleasure within the success of presidency college college students in NEET-UG, a big quantity could not be capable of afford an MBBS seat even in authorities schools because of the revised price construction.
Regardless of 474 college students from authorities colleges clearing NEET-UG this yr, monetary hurdles now threaten their future. A scholar from Bathinda’s meritorious college who scored 564 marks, and one other from Abohar who scored 493, are each eligible for presidency seats however could not be capable of be a part of because of the steep prices. Their fathers work as a tailor and a each day wage labourer, respectively.
In accordance with the revised construction, a scholar would want to spend almost ₹10 lakh over the course of an MBBS diploma in a authorities school. When hostel and mess expenses are included, the overall climbs to ₹13–14 lakh.
In distinction, tuition charges in neighboring states stay considerably decrease — round ₹3.19 lakh in Himachal Pradesh and ₹4.5 lakh in Haryana for presidency schools.
A authorities college instructor, talking on situation of anonymity, revealed that a number of meritorious college students have opted for medical schools exterior Punjab below the all-India quota because of the extra reasonably priced price construction.
In the meantime, a senior official from the Punjab medical training division defended the transfer, calling the 5% hike a “routine annual revision” initiated throughout the earlier authorities’s tenure in 2020. “We didn’t introduce a brand new hike this yr — it’s a continuation of current coverage,” the official claimed.
Nevertheless, scholar our bodies just like the MSA and Resident Docs’ Affiliation (RDA) proceed to query the logic. “If high quality training is the purpose, monetary sustainability should additionally embrace truthful stipends and equitable entry,” stated Dr. Mehtab Bal of RDA Patiala.
Responding to the protests, Dr Balbir Singh assured the scholars that their issues can be taken into severe consideration. He reiterated that the federal government is dedicated to offering sponsored, high quality medical training whereas acknowledging the necessity to strike a stability between price and accessibility.
