GUWAHATI, Oct 24: Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal on Saturday defended the state government’s decision to increase MBBS course fees, arguing that the revised rates remained considerably lower than the cost of medical education at private institutions.
Speaking at a press conference in Guwahati, Singhal said the fee revision was a deliberate government decision and outlined the annual charges based on students’ family income.
“ Yes, the fees have been increased. Why? Because it was a decision of the government. In private institutes, people are paying Rs 40 lakh for it. We have made a very small increase,” he said.
Under the revised structure, students from families earning more than Rs 9 lakh annually will pay Rs 1 lakh a year. Those whose annual family income is between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 9 lakh will pay Rs 50,000, while students from families earning below Rs 4 lakh will pay Rs 5,000 annually, according to the minister.
The income-based structure sets the lowest fee for students from below-poverty-line families. The revision comes amid wider discussions over the affordability of medical education and access to professional courses in Assam and other northeastern states.
Separately, Singhal said the state government was working to make healthcare more affordable, particularly for patients requiring specialised treatment.
He said around 33 to 34 kidney transplants had been performed in Assam last year, with each procedure costing between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. According to him, the expenses were covered under the Pradhan Mantri Arogya Nidhi and Mukhya Mantri Arogya Nidhi schemes.
The minister also said more than 30 new dialysis centres had opened across the state in the past three months, expanding access to treatment for patients with kidney-related ailments.
His remarks highlighted the government’s stated efforts to address medical education costs for students while improving the affordability and availability of specialised healthcare for patients.
