Rules on Assistance to Privately Enrolled Medical Students

1.      GENERAL CONDITIONS

1.1    To address the dire shortage of doctors in the country, the Government has instituted a scheme through assisting medical students who obtain entry to medical institutions/universities at their own initiative and cost. The scheme shall be called the Assistance to Privately Enrolled Medical Students (APEMS).

1.2     For the fair and equitable execution of the scheme, the following rules are issued.

1.3      The Scholarship Division, Department of Adult & Higher Education, Ministry of Education shall oversee the application procedures, eligibility criteria and completeness of the required documents.

1.4     The students shall be required to secure their own placement/admissions to medical institutions/universities deemed reputable.

1.5     The Ministry of Education, the Royal Civil Service Commission, and the Ministry of Health shall together assess and determine the medical institutions/universities of repute to ensure quality and standard of medical education. 

2.      APPLICABILITY

2.1     The APEMS shall cover private students admitted in medical institutions/universities in the SAARC region, and Thailand and Cuba.

2.2     The grant shall cover Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses.

2.3     The scheme shall be in operation initially for the duration of the 10^th Five Year Plan (2008-2013). However, students covered by APEMs during the 10^th Plan shall continue to receive the grant as spill over until the completion of their courses except for new registration.

3.      PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION

3.1     Private MBBS and BDS students already enrolled in the institutions/universities determined in Section 1.5 and meeting the cut off points as reflected under section 4.2 may apply for APEMS to the Scholarship Division, Department of Adult and Higher Education.

3.2     New students meeting the cut off points as per Section 4.2 may apply to Scholarship Division along with copy of the letter of acceptance duly endorsed/signed by the concerned medical institutions/universities of repute as determined in Section 1.5.

3.3     Application should be supported by Academic Transcripts of Class X and XII (Original accompanied by copies of the same), Security Clearance (original), Birth Certificate, Medical and Migration Certificates.

4.      ELIGIBILITY

4.1     Private Medical Students pursuing or wishing to pursue MBBS and BDS courses in medical institutions/universities in the SAARC region including Thailand and Cuba shall be eligible to apply for APEMS.

4.2     Students shall have secured a minimum of 55% qualifying marks in English for both MBBS and BDS, and a minimum of 65% marks each in Physics, Chemistry and Biology for MBBS; and a minimum of 60% marks each in Physics, Chemistry and Biology for BDS; which are at par with the regular scholarship students.

4.3     Ex- or in-service civil servants pursuing or to pursue medical studies privately shall not be eligible to apply for APEMS.  

5.      GRANT SCOPE OF APEMS

5.1     The APEMS shall be up to maximum ceiling of Nu.300,000 (Ngultrum Three Hundred Thousand) per student per annum.

5.2     The grant shall cover tuition fee for the first and second year, and from the third year onwards both tuition fee and living expenses shall be covered until the completion of study programme, subject to production of documents related to successful academic performance duly endorsed by the concerned institute/university. This provision shall however be limited to the Sections 5.1 and 6.3 only.

5.3     Students availing APEMS and academically unsuccessful in one particular semester/year shall have to repeat at their own expenses. However, APEMs shall be continued from the following semester/academic year subject to having cleared the semester/examinations and allowed to register for the next (consecutive) level of the course.

5.4     The APEMS shall be extended to a maximum of 12 MBBS and 3 BDS slots per annum, the selection of which shall be on the basis of academic merit and competition amongst the applicants.

5.5     The APEMS grant shall be effective from 1^st January 2009 and cover those currently enrolled students subject to fulfillment of other conditions stipulated herein.

6.      CONDITIONS OF PAYMENT

6.1     Tuition fees (actual) shall be reimbursed on production of payment receipts in original from the concerned medical institute/university.

6.2     Students shall be required to submit the details of actual fees (tuition) structure duly endorsed by the medical institutions/universities.

6.3     After covering the actual tuition fees as per Sections 6.1 and 6.2, the balance amount of the maximum ceiling of Nu.300,000/- shall be provided to supplement living expense which shall not be more than 70% of the prevailing entitlement of Students under Government scholarship.

6.4     During the internship period, supplementary living expense for the interns shall be provided to those who are not paid stipend or remuneration by the concerned hospitals subject to production of relevant documents in original. However, this payment shall be calculated on the basis of Section 6.3 above.

6.5     Payment shall be made strictly as specified above and no other miscellaneous payments shall be admissible to the students.

6.6     No payment shall be entitled beyond the actual duration of the degree programme.

7.      SERVICE BOND

7.1     Student(s) availing APEMS shall sign a Service Bond (legal undertaking) with the Ministry of Education countersigned by the Royal Civil Service Commission and Ministry of Health, whereby the period required to serve the Royal Government of Bhutan shall be equal to the duration of the course.

7.2     In the event a student is unsuccessful (incompletion of the course) due to irregular attendance, discontinuation of studies without prior information and permission to/from the Ministry of Education, and/or such other misconducts leading to discontinuation of the course or repatriation, that full amount of APEMS paid shall be refunded to the Government.