Inadequate hostel facilities continue to haunt medical college students in Kozhikode
Students at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, continue to grapple with a severe shortage of hostel accommodation, with two nearly completed hostel buildings still not open for use and many, especially women, forced to seek costly alternatives off campus.
Infrastructure bottleneck despite new buildings
Student union representatives said female students are the worst affected as existing hostel capacity has not kept pace with intake in recent years. While construction of two new hostel blocks is almost complete, they remain unopened as the college awaits Health department clearances to install furniture and connect the water supply.
Currently, the campus has three hostels for undergraduate (UG) boys and two for UG girls. Some women students have been accommodated in quarters meant for senior resident doctors, while house surgeons have a separate quarters building. According to students, the longstanding practice of having outgoing students vacate rooms when a new batch arrives has become increasingly disruptive because newcomers frequently have nowhere to relocate, reflecting the widening gap between accommodation and rising student numbers.
Students bear the brunt
Hiba Yasmi, from the 69th batch of MBBS and now in her second year, said a large number of her classmates are still without hostel rooms. She added that almost half of her batch could not attend the recent graduation ceremony of the 64th batch because they did not have a place to stay.
Gayathri, a student in the latest 70th batch, said about 50 students in her cohort have not been provided 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 said.
File clearances and administrative delays
Functionaries of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) said the government has yet to clear files related to the purchase of furniture for the new hostel buildings, despite a price estimate having been submitted in May. Until approvals are granted, the buildings cannot be furnished or connected to utilities, leaving the additional capacity idle.
College response
College authorities said steps are being taken to address the concerns raised by students, though no firm timeline was provided for when the new hostels would be made operational.
Ongoing impact
With the new academic year underway and more students arriving, the mismatch between accommodation availability and demand is intensifying. Students and union representatives argue that without swift clearances and a structured plan to expand and maintain hostel facilities in line with intake, the disruptions to academic life and additional financial burdens on students—especially women—will persist.
