Are government colleges really better or are they just cheaper?

As for all the medical colleges in the country, you get admitted through the common counseling done based on your performance in the NEET Exam, either through the All-India Quota for which 15% of the seats are reserved and you don't have to be a bonded doctor after you graduate, but you require more marks in NEET to be admitted through AQI, and the remaining 85% seats are through the state quota where you have to sign a bond with the state government to compulsorily serve as a medical officer in the rural areas (paid salary) for 1 year, in exchange of INR 15 lacs undertaking + 5 lakhs solvency of either property or bank FD. To be eligible in NEET, you have to score at least 50% marks in your respective board exams.

The curriculum is for 5.5 years, (4.5 years of undergraduate study + 1-year compulsory rotating internship), which is divided into three phases as follows: Phase I - Pre-Clinical (Anatomy, Physiology & Biochemistry) 1 year Phase II - Para - Clinical (Pathology, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine) 1.5 years (reduced to 1 year for our batch due to COVID by the NMC) Phase III - Clinical ( Otolaryngorhinology, Ophthalmology, Community Medicine, Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Orthopedics, Obstetrics & Gynecology) 2 years, divided into part 1 and part 2. There is average faculty: student ratio All the professors are at least postgraduates in their specific field. Teaching is done through didactic lectures using PPTs for the nonclinical parts, and the clinical subjects include real case observations in the government civil hospital attached to the college) There are terminal exams twice every year, which is medium in difficulty to pass

There is a compulsory rotating internship for at least 12 months in the Civil Hospital, Rajkot which is attached to the campus itself. During the internship, you rotate in the different clinical departments for varying periods where you get to have on-hand clinical experience, and as it is a tertiary healthcare center and the largest hospital in the region of Saurashtra, Gujarat, there is an adequate clinical caseload. There is also a newly inaugurated super specialty building. You are given hands-on case experience and thus you learn the most during this phase. You also have to juggle your preparation for Pre-PG entrance examinations during this period. Overall, the workload during this period is quite high, but you get the benefit to learn from the diverse caseload of patients coming from all over Saurashtra.

There is a fixed tuition fee of INR 25000 every year. You get the benefit of both Government and non-govt-sponsored scholarship schemes if you belong to a socially or economically backward class of society.

There is a fest called EUPHORIA that is held every year according to the schedules when there are no clashing exams for any batch. The library has an adequate collection of books, both from National as well as Foreign authors. The reading library is cramped in space, and there is a shortage of seats, thus seniors are prioritized in the library. The classrooms are equipped with non-functional ACs, working fans, and tube lights, while there is adequate natural ventilation and lighting, the classes are equipped with smartboards for digital methods of teaching. There is a badminton court on the college campus on the ground floor and a volleyball field in the juniors' UG hostel. There are social groups divided according to the native regions of the students which can be helpful.

The juniors are given a different hostel for the initial 1-2 years where they get a shared room between 2 people. Every person who is not a locality gets allocated a hostel room when you apply for your admission procedure. The infrastructure, especially the sanitary facilities are average at best. There is an attached mess but there is a hygiene problem so everyone arranges for different tiffin services. The seniors are given individual rooms in a new multi-story hostel which is newly constructed and has adequate facilities.