Battling odds: Tribal student’s MBBS dream hits fund hurdle

Battling odds: Tribal student’s MBBS dream hits fund hurdle 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  16.10.2024

Hyderabad : Pusam Ashok has beaten the odds to secure a seat for MBBS. But he has now hit a fresh hurdle. Ashok has no money to turn his dream into reality. The 18-year-old from the Gond tribal community hails from Marapaguda village of Narnur mandal in Adilabad. Though he has paid a part of the amount to finalise his seat at TRR Institute of Medical Sciences in Patancheru, Sangareddy, he still needs at least ₹2 lakh more this year for hostel accommodation and other expenses. The first year MBBS classes will begin in the next couple of weeks and Ashok said he has to pay the amount by then. Though he has approached the Integrated Tribal De velopment Agency (ITDA) in Utnoor for financial help, it is yet to come. 

The tribal community is also looking at ways to help him financially, he said. “I am so close to realising it my dream, but the fund crunch has come as a big challenge for me,” Ashok told TOI. To save money for his studies, Ashok is now working in his agricultural field so that the family does not have to spend money on farm labourers. “I am not ashamed of doing hard labour as that is what Ihave been doing for years and helping my family,” he said. His mother Pusam Bijalabai and father Pusam Seetharam did not receive any education. 

“In fact, they do not know what MBBS is. I myself did not know about it until I was in class 10,” Ashok said. Ashok studied in tribal welfare institutions both at school and in Intermediate. “We were coached well on how to prepare for the entrance at our college,” he said, adding that he secured an All India rank of 2,88,636 in NEET and a state rank of 7,510. Ashok’s dream is to serve tribals in Agency areas as a doctor.