Why India’s PG students are applauding the NMC’s recent notice to medical colleges over hostels

As stipulated by Regulation 5.6 of the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation (PGMER), 2023, “It will be mandatory for the college to provide appropriate residential accommodation to postgraduate students. However, it will not be mandatory for the postgraduate students to stay in the hostel.”

Similarly, there were no such provisions in the PGMER, 2000, mandating the compulsory stay of PG medical students in the college-provided hostels.

According to the notice, medical colleges could face penalties outlined in Regulations 9.1 and 9.2 of PGMER, 2023. The NMC cautioned, “Hence, all medical colleges and institutes are directed to take cognisance of the above-mentioned regulation, failing which the NMC may take action as per Regulations 9.1 and 9.2 of the PGMER, 2023, which includes monetary penalty, reduction of seats, stoppage of admission, etc.”

The NMC emphasises that, in line with Regulation 5.6 of the PGMER, 2023, hostel accommodation for postgraduate medical students is discretionary. While colleges are mandated to provide suitable residential facilities, postgraduate students are not obliged to stay in the hostels.

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Mandatory and expensive

Due to the NMC’s mandatory PG hostel provision, where medical colleges are required to provide hostels, many private institutions, upon obtaining permission to operate PG medical programmes, convert rented buildings into hostels for medical students.

One student from a private medical college told South First, “They take a building on rent and convert that into a hostel for medical students. As these medical colleges have to pay rent for the building, they charge students exorbitantly. Due to the high rents, students are wanting to leave and find their own accommodations but contractual clauses prevent them from leaving.”

Additionally, he pointed out that a private medical college in Nalgonda, situated in the rural belt, imposes an annual fee of approximately ₹1 lakh on PG students for hostel accommodation. This cost escalates to ₹1.2 lakh per annum for the same institute located in LB Nagar, Hyderabad, within the city limits.

On the contrary, in government medical colleges, many of the PG students don’t even get accommodations because the hostels are mostly occupied by MBBS students. “Students of clinical branches like Surgery, Medicine, and Anaesthesia, want to stay in these hostels as they have to attend to patients on time, while the non-clinical students want to get out as these buildings are quite old, and you don’t know when the plaster will fall on you,” the PG student said.

To recall, such was the case in Hyderabad’s Osmania Medical College a few years ago when resident doctors protested against poor hostel accommodations.

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Medical community reacts

Speaking to South First, Dr Sai Sri Harsha, President of the Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association (JUDA), says, “The situation differs between government-run medical colleges and private medical colleges.”

He explained, “In government-run colleges, there is an insufficient availability of hostel facilities for postgraduates, despite their willingness to pay the hostel fee due to a hectic work schedule. A representation regarding this issue was made to the Health Minister in the recent meeting held in January. However in private medical colleges, not all of them, but a few are making it mandatory for all students to pay hostel fees.”

He added, “The current JUDA panel is dedicated to ensuring that hostel facilities are provided to all postgraduates and it aims to prevent private medical colleges from collecting hostel fees from those postgraduates who do not reside in hostels.”

Commending the initiative, one Dr Dhruv Chauhan remarked on X, “Much appreciated step. A lot of private medical colleges are charging hefty amounts in the name of hostel fees. But they are very clever. They will shift those amounts in ‘miscellaneous’ and other charges which needs accountability too. I hope @NMC_IND will consider.”

Much appreciated step
A lot of private medical colleges are charging hefty amounts in the name of hostel fees
But they are very clever , they will shift those amounts in “miscellaneous” and other charges which needs accountability too .
I hope @NMC_IND will consider https://t.co/yS429EO9Ag

— Dr.Dhruv Chauhan (@DrDhruvchauhan) February 9, 2024

Another PG doctor, Muhammed Hussain, applauded the move on X. “This move prevents private colleges to force students to stay in hostel and charge extraorbitant fees. Also students from government colleges whose hostels were constructed decades back and are in a sad state of affairs can opt outside. The next step should be to provide HRA (House rent allowance) and TA(Transport allowance) to those residents without any hindrance [sic],” he said.

This is a great move by @NMC_IND. This move prevents Private colleges to force students to stay in hostel and charge extraorbitant fees.

Also students from government colleges whose hostels were constructed decades back and are in a sad state of affairs can opt outside. The… pic.twitter.com/Lp0Z6Xj7Hr

— The Cancer Doctor (@DoctorHussain96) February 9, 2024