MARD demands government to waive-off tuition fee

Aurangabad, May 28:

The resident doctors today staged a demonstration in front of the Department of Medicine at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) to press their demand of waiving off the tuition fee (shaikshanik shulk). The agitators underlined that they had taken admissions to various post-graduation medical courses (MD/MS), but the academic sessions are not held as they and their guides, both are busy in rendering Covid-19 duty in the region's big hospital, as a result, the state government should waive off the fees.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) secretary Dr. Abbasaheb Tidke said, " For the past one and a half years, the postgraduate medical course students (admitted to MD/MS course) and their guides are busy in performing Covid-19 duties. We are not against the service but are sustaining the academic loss. Hence MARD gave a memorandum to the head of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) Dr. Tatyarao Lahane to waive off the tuition fees. We will also be meeting the state medical education minister Amit Deshmukh, soon."

Adds an office-bearer of local MARD (in GMCH), Dr. Akshay Kshirsagar, " The fee is very high. We are given Covid duty every fortnight. Our guides are also rendering the same duties. Hence the specialty courses to which we had taken admissions are being ignored. Hence there is no teaching then why the students should pay the tuition fees. The government should waive it off."

The government should also insure the lives of junior resident doctors rendering Covid duties demanded Dr. Umesh Yeole, Dr. Yogita Devre, Dr. Rishikesh Gavhane, Dr. Rishikesh Fadnis, Dr. Saurav Dikode, and others.

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Strength of students at GMCH

Name of course/year Fees per student Total students

MBBS first year 1.05 lakh 200

MBBS second year 0.97 lakh 200

MBBS minor year 0.88 lakh 150

MBBS major year 0.89 lakh 150

Junior Residents (JR-1) 1.08 lakh 166

Junior Residents (JR-2) 0.98 lakh 140

Junior Residents (JR-1) 0.89 lakh 145