THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Every year, 1.5 lakh children are going to neighbouring states as there are no sufficient seats in Kerala in courses that are supposed to train nurses and paramedical staff, including lab technicians. Most of these children go to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Those who go to other states, usually find a job there after their studies. Many of them later fly abroad.

There are several conditions in Kerala for conducting nursing and paramedical courses. It is also said that if more seats are allotted, quality will be lost. Many paramedical institutions are operating in the border areas to take advantage of the adverse situation in Kerala. 75,000 to 95,000 students go to the neighbouring states, which have become educational hubs, for B.Sc Nursing alone. As many as 55,000 people leave the state for joining paramedical courses like B.Sc Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Medical Lab Technology and Optometry. While the government sector has somewhat a few seats for nursing, most of the seats for paramedical courses are in private colleges. Although many people are ready to study these courses by spending huge amounts, there are not enough seats for these courses in the private sector of the state.

Challenges in Kerala

1. Only hospitals with 300 beds will get 60 seats for nursing. As per central law, hospitals in other states need only 100 beds to get 60 seats for nursing

2. Paramedical courses will be allowed only in hospitals with 250 beds. In other states, paramedical courses will be allowed if the hospital has 50 beds.

Study opportunity in Kerala

1. B.Sc Nursing Total Seats- 3270
Government- 570
Private Sector- 2700

2. MLT-1000
Government- 77
Self-Financing Sector – 923

3. Physiotherapy- 650
Government- 0
Self-Financing Sector- 650

4. Optometry- 329
Government- 37
Self-financing sector- 292

5. Occupational therapy- 40
Government- 0
Self-financing sector - 40

6. Audio and Speech-Language Pathology- 137
Government- 27
Self-financing sector- 110

7. Dialysis Technology- 59
Government- 59
Private Sector- 0

Fee structure
1. B.Sc Nursing
Government - 10000 - 75000
Private sector - 2 lakh - 5 lakh

2. MLT
Government - 15000 - 85000
Private sector - 2 lakh - 7 lakh