Thousands of aspiring doctors and their families in Punjab will have to bear a significantly higher financial burden this academic session after a sharp revision in MBBS fee. Private medical colleges have recorded hikes of up to 17.4 per cent, while government medical colleges have increased fees by about 8.5 per cent over the full duration of the course.According to a notification of the Department of Medical Education and Research, the revised fee structure applies to 1,800 MBBS seats in the state from the current academic session, split evenly between the government and private sectors. Punjab’s five government medical colleges together account for 900 seats, while its seven private medical institutions make up the remaining 900.The steepest impact will be felt by students entering private medical colleges. For the 50 per cent seats reserved under the government quota in these institutions, the total tuition fee for the entire course has risen by Rs 3.74 lakh, from Rs 21.48 lakh previously to Rs 25.22 lakh now — a rise of 17.4 per cent.Within this, the first-year fee alone has gone up from Rs 4.06 lakh to Rs 4.69 lakh, a jump of Rs 63,000. The fee then rises progressively through the course, from Rs 5.16 lakh in the second year to Rs 5.68 lakh in the third, Rs 6.25 lakh in the fourth and Rs 3.44 lakh for the concluding six-month fifth year.The increase is even steeper for the 35 per cent management quota seats in private colleges. The full-course fee has risen by Rs 9.46 lakh, from Rs 55.25 lakh to Rs 64.71 lakh, reflecting a 17.1 per cent increase.Here too, the first-year fee has jumped sharply, from Rs 10.42 lakh to Rs 12.06 lakh. The fee for subsequent years stands at Rs 13.26 lakh for the second year, Rs 14.59 lakh for the third, Rs 16 lakh for the fourth, and Rs 8.80 lakh for the final six-month year.The disparity between the two quotas remains stark. A student admitted through the management quota will pay Rs 39.49 lakh more over the duration of the course than one admitted under the government quota in the same institution.Government medical colleges have seen a comparatively smaller increase, though the rise remains significant. Across the five state-run institutions, the total fee for the 5.5-year MBBS course has increased by Rs 85,000, from Rs 9.98 lakh to Rs 10.83 lakh, a rise of 8.5 per cent.The fee here rises by roughly 10 per cent each year, starting at Rs 2.02 lakh in the first year and increasing to Rs 2.22 lakh in the second, Rs 2.44 lakh in the third and Rs 2.68 lakh in the fourth, before the concluding six-month final year is charged at Rs 1.47 lakh.Of the total 1,800 seats across 12 medical colleges, 214 are reserved for NRI candidates, who will pay a full-course tuition fee of USD 1.10 lakh.Meanwhile, former Education Minister and Congress MLA Pargat Singh criticised the fee hike, saying it would make medical education less affordable for poor and middle-class families. He questioned the government for making education expensive in a state where a large number of families dream of seeing their children become doctors.Adesh students face higher feeIn a notice issued on Saturday, the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences said Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, will charge its 75 government quota MBBS students the full management quota fee of Rs 64.71 lakh instead of the notified Rs 25.22 lakh, in compliance with a Punjab and Haryana High Court order dated August 4. The differential amount of Rs 39.49 lakh will be kept in a fixed deposit and cannot be encashed until the court delivers its final verdict on the institute’s challenge to the state’s fee notification.