No more dropouts due to poor financial condition: RGUHS to come up with insurance scheme

Bengaluru: To help out students belonging to economically marginalized section who are prone to discontinue their studies, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) authorities, after a recent syndicate meeting, have geared up to announce an insurance scheme which would be applicable to its affiliated colleges.

RGUHS is one of the premier Health Science Universities in India established by the Karnataka government through its enactment. There are several existing health science colleges and institutions in the state which are now affiliated to the university. The aim to set up the RGUHS was to meet the societal needs for better healthcare facilities and bring in uniformity in the standards of teaching and have a common curriculum for the various courses offered in different colleges in the state offering health sciences.

The university has affiliated colleges that offer medical courses including MBBS, super-specialty course, nursing, dental and AYUSH.

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The officials of the RGUHS had recently organized a syndicate meeting where they decided to come up with the insurance scheme to help out students associated with the university who withdraw themselves or drop out from their courses due to financial crunch. To provide benefits to the deserving students, the university decided to consider a "cap on income level" so that only poor and middle-class students are benefited from the said scheme.

Confirming the plan, the Dr Sachidanand, Vice-Chancellor of the RGUHS told the Deccan Herald that 'it aims to cover students' course fee of all medical courses including medical, dental, nursing and paramedical courses both at the UG and PG level, including those students studying in private colleges and affiliated to the RGUHS'.

The selection of the candidates who apply for the scheme will have to follow a procedure laid down by the authorities. Firstly, the verification of the documents provided by the students will be carried out followed by physical verification which will be done by the specially constituted committee for the purpose.

The scheme will be extended to the students who leave their studies due to family distress after the death of their parents in a tragedy or due to ill health, accident, and suicide. The university planned to move forward to help them out.

To avail the benefit of the schemes under this criterion, the students will have to submit documents including "death certificates, fee paid during the previous year, permanent residential address, current address, income certificate etc".

Since the RGUHS comes under the state government; therefore it is looking forward to bring the private colleges on board.

An official informed the daily, "We are also exploring bringing private colleges on board so that they will also share half of the premium paid on behalf of the students."