Pandemic effect: Gen medicine gets an edge

 Pandemic effect: Gen medicine gets an edge

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Sruthy Susan Ullas

TNN

26.01.2022

Bengaluru: Fees of a few PG medical courses in Karnataka colleges under ‘NRI and others’ quotas have been increased for the coming academic year, with college-wise revisions pegged between 5% and 50%. General medicine, which costs around Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1. 2 crore in some top bracket colleges, is vying with radiology as the most-sought-after specialization this time round, mainly due to the raging pandemic that has headlined its importance among medical students.

Fees for general medicine and radiology are nearly the same – at Rs 1. 2 crore a year – under NRI quota in at least one private college in Bengaluru. Interestingly, the general medicine course in the government-owned Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute costs Rs 1. 1 lakh a year, or a tenth of the NRI-quota fee.

“Earlier, general medicine was not as well paid as that of a radiologist. With the pandemic, the importance of an intensivist, who is either specialised in general medicine or anaesthesia with additional training has become extremely important. The demand for both courses has gone up,” said an official of a deemed university.

Karnataka has 3,084 postgraduate medical seats for  2021, the seat matrix for which was announced on the Karnataka Examinations Authority website on Monday. As many as 926 seats are in the government quota, 39 in the government PWD quota, 1,186 in private quota, 396 for in-service candidates and 537 for NRIs.

Interestingly, there has been a steep hike in fees for general medicine in NRI/others quota as mentioned on the KEA website. In Shivashankarappa Institute of Medical Sciences, Davanagere, the fee has seen nearly a 50% rise, up from Rs 60. 1 lakh in 2020 to Rs 90. 1 lakh in 2021. In MS Ramaiah, the fee this year is Rs 85. 1 lakh as against Rs 70. 1 lakh last year. Jaya Jagadguru Murugharajendra Medical College, Davanagere, is charging Rs 90. 1 lakh as against Rs 80. 1lakh last year.

In Vydehi Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre, Bengaluru, the fees is Rs 75. 1lakh, a hike of Rs 5 lakh from last year. At Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, students have to pay Rs 1. 2 crore for a general medicine seat in the NRI quota, same as last year, and Rs 1. 3 crore for a PG seat in radiology. The fees under the government quota is Rs 7. 1lakh and private quota Rs 11. 5 lakh. The NRI quota fees for pediatrics, general medicine, ophthalmology and gynaecology in this college is quoted at Rs 1. 2 crore on the KEA website.