Deemed medical colleges charging astronomical fees

NEW DELHI: Medical students in deemed colleges are having to fork out hefty fees. The MBBS course fees in some deemed medical colleges have crossed the Rs 1 crore mark, which is beyond the means of a meritorious student from a low-income family.

It has come to light that 16 out of 39 deemed medical colleges are charging over Rs 20 lakh annually for their MBBS course. If the other expenses are factored in, the total amount spent on completing MBBS education will exceed Rs 1 crore.

According to experts, the deemed medical colleges are taking advantage of the non-availability of a dedicated fee fixation committee for them as they claim that the state-level fee fixation committees do not govern deemed colleges.

The UGC proposes to set up a committee that would restrict deemed colleges from increasing fees arbitrarily, as per directions from the Supreme Court. This committee would have to be in place by June 30. Notably, in states, fixation committees are the apex bodies to determine the fee in private medical colleges, which is not applicable to deemed medical colleges.

In September 2017, Madras High Court had asked the UGC to set up a committee to regulate the fee structure in deemed colleges, which was challenged in the Supreme Court by medical institutions that secured a stay on the HC order

However, in April this year, the SC lifted the stay and had directed UGC to constitute the panel.

Meanwhile, the Madras HC asked deemed colleges in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to collect a maximum Rs 13 lakh annually till the formation of fee fixation panel.

Commenting on setting up of the panel, UGC Secretary Rajneesh Jain said, “Following the order of Madras HC, the UGC is in the process of setting up the fee fixation committee. The panel would soon be constituted, which would expedite fee fixation in all deemed medical colleges of the country.”