Low MBBS fee lures students from state to Bangladesh

Low MBBS fee lures students from state to Bangladesh Jupinderjit Singh/ Archit WattsTribune News Service

Jammu, October 12
A low fee structure and a lower eligibility criteria encourage students from Jammu and Kashmir to opt for an MBBS degree from Bangladesh. Such students are under the scanner following the arrest of Wasim Akhtar Malik in the Delhi High Court blast case. Wasim belongs to Kishtwar district and is a final year MBBS student at Riyaz Rigbo Medical College.
As the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) has a strong following in Bangladesh, the Indian security agencies are suspecting that the militant group has used Wasim and some other students to carry out the blast and send a terror email later to select media organisations seeking clemency for Afzal Guru.
Inquiries revealed that nearly 20 doctors, who had done MBBS from Bangladesh, were working in private and public hospitals in the state. Most of them had graduated from Ragib Rabea Medical College, Sylhet in Bangladesh. One of such students is Saima Saroori, elder daughter of former Public Works Department Minister GM Saroori.
The students get admission under a special scheme of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Fourteen students from India are sponsored for the course every year. The admission is done on the basis of marks obtained in Class XII. There are paid seats as well.
“We sent Wasim to Bangladesh after a number of youths from Kishtwar got admission there. He appeared in the competitive exams here but could not qualify. However, he was eligible for admission to MBBS in Bangladesh,” said Riaz Malik, Wasim’s father.
Riaz said the cost of MBBS was far less in Bangladesh. “Besides saving about Rs 1 lakh on annual fee and expenses, we save more money due to the higher value of the Indian Rupee.
Records of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, also showed that the students preferred to pursue medical studies in Bangladesh due to the low cost of education.
At present about 5 per cent of the total number of interns in the hospital have done MBBS from the colleges in Bangladesh. “I was selected under the SAARC scholarship programme. The fee in a government college in Bangladesh was very nominal, as I had to pay Rs 3,000 only. Those who opt for paid/NRI quota seats have to pay Rs 10-12 lakh,” said Dr Syed Yasir Qadri, a resident of Srinagar, who is at present pursuing his postgraduation in Jammu.
He added, “About 14 students from India get selected under the SAARC scholarship programme every year. The admission is done purely on the basis of marks obtained in Class X and XII. There is no requirement of an entrance test for admission to MBBS in Bangladesh.”
Dr Rajinder Singh, Principal of the GMCH, said, “Mostly those students, who do not get admission here, go abroad. The neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and China are favourites among the medical students. Back in India, they have to clear an exam to get a licence to practise here.”
Dr Rajinder added, “I believe mostly students from Kashmir go to Bangladesh.” It may be mentioned here that the admission process in these countries starts when it is over in India.

Cost Benefit

• Students get admission to MBBS in Bangladesh under a special scheme of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. Fourteen students from India are sponsored for the course every year.
• The admission is done on the basis of marks obtained in Class XII. There are paid seats as well. There is no requirement of an entrance test for admission
• Nearly 20 doctors, who have done MBBS from Bangladesh, are working in private and public hospitals in the state.
• Such students are under the scanner following the arrest of Wasim Akhtar Malik in the Delhi High Court blast case.