PM Modi inaugurates free-of-cost medical college, hospital in Karnataka

Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Modi appreciated the efforts of Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence to set up the free medical college.

Located in a rural area, the college was established with a vision of de-commercialising medical education and health care, according to an official release.

“The SMSIMSR would provide medical education and quality medical care — completely free of cost  — to all,” said the release, adding that the college will start functioning from the coming academic.

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Modi on translating MBBS textbooks

Meanwhile, Modi hit out at political parties at the inaugural event, saying they “played a game” over languages without doing enough to support the move to translate MBBS textbooks into local languages.

He alleged that the parties did not want students from rural backgrounds, the poor, and those from backward-class families to become doctors or engineers.

He highlighted the challenges youngsters from villages and poor families face in joining a medical college.

He gave credit to the BJP government for understanding these issues and providing these youngsters with the option of getting a medical education in Indian languages, including Kannada.

“I want to mention before you a challenge that is there in the medical profession. Because of this challenge, it was difficult for youth from villages belonging to poor and backward classes to become doctors,” Modi said.

“Kannada is a prosperous language. It is a language that increases the pride of the country. Earlier governments did not take steps towards teaching medical, engineering and technical education in Kannada too,” Modi said.

Related: Tamil Nadu moves apex court challenging validity of NEET

Medical college ‘in rural-for rural’

Renowned cardiologist Bengaluru cardiologist Dr Vivek Jawali, who is on the advisory board of SMSIMSR, told South First that the college has been set up with a “in rural-for rural” vision.

These days, finding people to serve in the rural areas is extremely difficult, while there are thousands of eligible, capable students who do not study medicine only for the reason that they cannot afford to pay the fees.

“These are the doctors who would really want to serve rural population. They would dedicate themselves to serve the under-served, with a sense of gratitude and readiness to sacrifice. It’s certain to inject youngsters here with values and high sense of social sensitivity,” he said.

The college, in it’s Vision Statement, notes that 10 lakh students appear every year for NEET examinations to pursue MBBS country-wide, whereas only 90,000 seats are available.

Thus, only about 10 percent of the applicants qualify for NEET. The scenario is bleaker for students hailing from marginalised and rural backgrounds.

It is almost impossible for rural students to have access to a medical education both because of the affordability factor and the language barrier.