Inadequate hostel facilities continue to haunt medical college students in Kozhikode

Students at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, are still bearing the brunt of inadequate hostel facilities.

According to functionaries of the students’ union at the college, female students are the worst affected. Though the construction of two new hostel buildings is almost complete, they are yet to be thrown open for stay. The authorities are waiting for clearance from the Health department to install furniture and connect the water supply, it is learnt.

At present, there are three hostels for undergraduate (UG) boys and two for UG girls. Some girl students are also put up in the quarters meant for senior resident doctors. House surgeons have a separate quarters building. As per the current practice, when a new batch of students comes, their predecessors are supposed to vacate their existing hostel rooms. However, quite often these students don’t immediately get rooms to relocate. This is happening because the hostel facilities are not being upgraded in line with the rise in the number of students over the years, say students’ union functionaries.

Hiba Yasmi, a student from the 69^th batch of MBBS, who is into the second year of her course, says a large number of students from her batch are yet to get accommodation in the hostel. Almost half of the students in her batch could not attend the graduation ceremony of the 64^th batch recently because they did not have a place to stay, she says.

Gayathri, who belongs to the latest [70th] batch, says that almost 50 students in her batch have not been given hostel facilities. “The annual hostel fee on the campus is ₹12,000. However, now we are forced to stay in private hostels for ₹6,000 a month. Travelling to the campus is an ordeal,” she says.

Functionaries of the Students’ Federation of India say that the government is yet to clear the files related to purchasing furniture for the new buildings, though the price estimate for this purpose was submitted in May itself. College authorities, meanwhile, claim that steps are being taken to address the students’ concerns.