Patna: As Bihari youngsters studying in Ukraine come back amid the Russian invasion, state legislators across party lines are demanding that the government put a cap on fees charged by private medical colleges. However, the Nitish Kumar government has expressed helplessness on this front.
Aspiring medical students, many of whom covet Ukraine as a study destination for its cheaper courses and ease of admission, are facing severe uncertainties in light of the conflict.
Along with China and Russia, the east European country is among the most sought-after destinations for students who have to deal with tough competition for government college seats and high expenses in private colleges.
Even the students already pursuing courses in the war-torn country face questions about the remainder of their course, with the ongoing conflict forcing them to escape.
On Thursday, Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Sanjeev Kumar drew attention to the plight of Bihari students in Ukraine through a ‘calling attention’ motion in the assembly.
“Had the fees of Bihar private medical colleges been lower, so many students would not have had to go to Ukraine and flee the war zone,” Kumar said in the assembly.
Ruling BJP MLA Nitish Mishra asked the government to raise the number of medical seats in Bihar, which have remained stagnant at 1,850 for a long time.
RJD MLA Bhai Virendra alleged that the government remained a mute spectator as “private medical colleges fleece students”. “The parents have to pay more than Rs 1 crore for getting their wards to get a MBBS degree in Bihar. The fees in foreign nations is much lower,” he said.
Responding to the charges, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar told ThePrint that the state can’t do much and the “initiative” has to come from the Centre.
In the assembly, Health Minister Mangal Pandey, too, hinted that the government’s hands were tied. “The Supreme Court has set up a committee to determine the fees of private medical colleges. We will be sending our recommendations,” he replied, stressing that the NDA government had opened six medical colleges under its tenure and four more will be opened in the future.
Bihar has 12 government colleges and six private medical colleges. The private colleges are allowed to fill up only 50 per cent seats as the rest are reserved for NEET-qualified candidates.
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Returning students
As of Thursday, around 100 students had returned to Bihar from Ukraine. Government sources said the actual number could be as high as 1,200.
According to a health department official who didn’t wish to be named, Bihari students go not just to Ukraine in pursuit of a MBBS degree, but also to Russia, China, Poland and even Nepal. “The numbers are actually much larger than what is reflected in the Ukraine crisis,” said the official.
After completing their MBBS from these countries, they return to take the Foreign Medical Graduates Examination (FMGE), which they need to clear in order to practise in India.
“The success rate in the exams is just 16 per cent and many of them have to take the exams several times before they make it,” said Dr Brajnandan Yadav, a former president of the Bihar unit of the Indian Medical Association.
CM says had no idea about numbers
Speaking to ThePrint, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed surprise at the number of students returning from Ukraine.
“I simply didn’t have any idea that so many students studied medicine in Ukraine. It’s only after the war-like situation emerged in Ukraine that I came to know there were so many students of medicine there,” Kumar said.
“In the USSR days, only a few sons and daughters of communist leaders studied in the USSR and other countries of the Soviet bloc. Now, I have learnt that there are actually agents of these foreign universities in Delhi who facilitate students’ going there,” he added.
However, he didn’t give the actual numbers of Bihari students returning from Ukraine. “Officials have been asked to ensure that Bihari students coming from Ukraine are taken to their home in Bihar,” he said.
The CM expressed his inability at lowering medical education costs. “The initiative has to come from the Centre,” he added.
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What students pay in Bihar
For the half-a-dozen private colleges in Bihar, students have to shell out around Rs 1 crore for the five-year MBBS programme. This typically includes annual charges of Rs 10 lakh towards fees, another Rs 5 lakh for development fees, and another Rs 4 lakh-5 lakh for hostel.
Compared to this, countries like Ukraine offer these courses within Rs 20 lakh for the full programme.
“The students studying in private colleges in Bihar belong to financially well-off families. The ones studying in Ukraine generally belong to middle-class families,” said Yadav.
A former superintendent of the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna, said there isn’t much scope for the government to cap private college fees.
“Private medical colleges will find it difficult to reduce their fees because they do not get development funds. They have to get it from the 50 per cent students in their college (rest 50 per cent of seats reserved for NEET-qualified government quota students),” said the ex-IGIMS chief who didn’t wish to be named.
“If the college has to install an MRI [machine], the cost will be Rs 12 crore. An operation table costs Rs 3 lakh each and the running cost is high. How does a medical college get faculty members to join if they do not pay good money?” he added.
(Edited by Amit Upadhyaya)
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