The Telangana government is set to introduce spoken English and communication skills’ training for MBBS students in the State, after concerns were raised that language barriers were contributing to stress, isolation and dropout in students hailing from rural and economically weaker backgrounds.
The decision was taken at a recent review meeting chaired by Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha.
Many students are struggling to cope with English-medium curriculum, particularly medical terminology, leading to severe academic stress and in some cases, discontinuation of studies.
Telangana currently has 35 government and 26 private medical colleges, together offering around 9,000 MBBS seats.
A senior Health official, present at the meeting, said that the Minister observed that talented students should not be pushed out of medical education due to language-related disadvantages.
He directed the Health department to roll out structured Spoken English and communication skills programmes for first and second-year MBBS students. “The training is to be on the lines of language courses already being implemented in government nursing colleges, where students receive instruction in English as well as foreign languages,” the official added.
The review also flagged concerns over the financial burden faced by students admitted to private medical colleges under the Convener Quota. While tuition fees for meritorious poor students are reimbursed by the State Government, private college managements have been collecting large sums under additional heads such as hostel charges, mess fees, library fees and other amenities. These so-called hidden costs are running into lakhs of rupees annually.
Taking a view of the issue, the Minister directed Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu and Vice-Chancellor of KNRUHS Ramesh Reddy, to constitute a special committee to study the extent of these additional expenses and examine how the government could extend further financial support to students from poor and middle-class families, the sources said.
Mental health and suicide prevention measures were also discussed during the meetings. Referring to isolated incidents of suicides among medical students reported from different parts of the country, the Minister instructed officials to strengthen counselling mechanisms in medical colleges. “Directions were issued to ensure the availability of psychologists and psychiatrists and to develop systems to identify students showing early signs of distress or withdrawal,” the official said.