MCh in surgical oncology costs ₹75L at college

ANNUAL FEE

MCh in surgical oncology costs ₹75L at college

Sunitha.Rao@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 25.12.2020

Centralised counselling by the medical counselling committee (MCC) under the Union health ministry is under way for admission to super-specialty courses and MCh in surgical oncology is emerging as one of the costliest specialties in Karnataka.

The course costs Rs 75 lakh a year at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) in Bengaluru, with an additional miscellaneous fee of Rs 88,000, as per its website. Those with MS in general surgery and ENT among others are eligible to take the course.

Social media is agog with criticism over the Rs 2.2-crore cost for the three-year course. Critics are calling it a mockery of the ‘affordable’ medical education in India. The cost was in fact Rs 1 crore per year in 2019. VIMS has five seats for the course.

In contrast, it costs Rs 2.4 lakh in the first year at government-run Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. The hospital has 11 seats of MCh of surgical oncology. “Our charges are fixed by the RGUHS. In the first year, the fee is Rs 2.4 lakh and for the next two consecutive years, it is Rs 2 lakh each. The total fee will be Rs 6.4 lakh. The medicos get Rs 60,000 stipend per month and earn Rs 7.2 lakh per year as they pursue it,” said Dr C Ramachandra, director, KMIO. The course costs Rs 40 lakh per year at MS Ramaiah Medical College.

According to VIMS authorities, admission cost for the course has been reduced this year due to the pandemic. “Fee is fixed by the management and there is high demand for MCh in surgical oncology. The high cost of modern equipment used in our hospital and salary paid to the teaching faculty are all to be considered while fixing the fee,” said Dr G Prabhakar, principal, VIMS. “As of now, there are no changes in the admission fee of candidates who joined the course in the previous years,” he added.

Doctors opined the cost of super-specialty courses is a clear indication of the public health scenario. “The longevity of our population has improved. Ability to diagnose and treat cases has also improved with technical advancement. With surgical care now available for certain types of cancer, surgical oncology has now come into the picture,” said Dr Hemant T, registrar, MS Ramaiah Medical College.

According to him, the admission fee is less for DM cardiology as more seats are available in the discipline. “There are also Diplomate of National Board courses run by hospitals for DM cardiology at a lower cost. Medical colleges cannot compete with DNB fees,” he added. DNB fees are in the range of a couple of lakh rupees.

NOT THE RIGHT STEP

Becoming a super specialist will become a distant dream for many doctors as private colleges fix very high fees. This is not a move in the right direction when the government wants to make medical education affordable. Sadly, the role of universities like RGUHS is limited and we can’t intervene in fixing the cost

Dr H J Jai Krishna |

SYNDICATE MEMBER, RGUHS

As per the fee details put out by VIMS, a seat in MCh plastic surgery costs Rs 7.5 lakh a year, the lowest in terms of admission cost in the college. The second lowest fee is for DM cardiology (Rs 27 lakh)