SC sets fee limit for private medical colleges

lahore — A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Saturday prohibited private medical colleges from charging more than Rs640,000 as annual fee and warned of strict action in case discrepancies are found in their accounts.

The bench however, allowed colleges to complete the admission process for vacant seats.

The bench formed a committee for inspection of the Lahore Medical & Dental College and sought a report. The bench also restrained the Young Doctors Association from calling strikes.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, passed these orders while hearing a suo motu notice regarding exorbitant fees being charged by the private medical colleges here at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry.

At the outset of proceedings, Barrister Ali Zafar, on behalf of private medical colleges, submitted that the government medical colleges also did not comply with the PMDC requirements and requested the bench to seek details from them as well. He also submitted that some seats were still lying vacant in private colleges and sought permission to fill these seats.

However, the bench rejected the request for seeking details from government colleges, observing it was not the relevant issue.

The bench formed a committee comprising advocate Ayesha Hamid, Dr Javed Gardezi and Prof Dr Faisal Masood and asked it to visit the Lahore Medical and Dental College and submit a preliminary report within one week.

The chief justice observed that these proceedings were aimed at improving the situation. However, corruption would not be tolerated at any cost, he added.

He also criticised the medical colleges’ admission and examination criteria, saying “private medical colleges conduct their own exams and pass their students themselves. There should be a uniform admission policy and single merit criterion”.

Advocate Ayesha Hamid assisted the bench and apprised it about the salary structure of employees of medical colleges as well as complaints regarding the exorbitant fees charged by them. — APP