As a result of the Supreme Court hiking the medical college admission fees in Kerala by ₹6 lakh — for a total annual fee of ₹11 lakh — a student has to spend nearly half a crore for the completion of his medical schooling ( “Supreme Court pegs MBBS fee at ₹11 lakh,” Aug. 29). When is he going to recover the cost of education and think in terms of the social imperatives of medicine, particularly in a poor country like ours? It is a matter of common knowledge that many of private medical colleges in our country ignore the guidelines of the Fee Fixation Committee and charge whatever they like, selling the seats to students who can afford them. The social fallout affects medical care as a whole and, naturally, the health of the nation. Bank loans may be an answer but certainly are not the ultimate solution.
N.G.R. Prasad,
Chennai
