Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences: MBBS students who qualified NEET 2018 get Refund Relief of Rs 13 crore

Vijayawada: The MBBS students of Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences (FIMS), who qualified NEET 2018; have finally gotten relief of Rs 13 crore towards refund of their medical course fees that they submitted for two academic years.

The amount has been sanctioned by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and to express gratitude towards the same, the students called the Minister at his residence and thanked him.

The addressal of the plight of these MBBS students comes after the recent suicide attempt by a disgruntled parent of one of the aggrieved MBBS student; during a media conference. The father of the medical student had consumed sleeping tablets in protest against the failure of the FIMS management in refunding fees by the MBBS students.

Medical Dialogues had been extensively reporting about the case at FIMS since and before its controversial de-recognition by the apex Medical Council of India (MCI).

The Mohammadiya Educational Society, which runs FIMS, allegedly admitted medical students for the academic year 2015-16, without having the MCI's approval for running the MBBS course, for the year.

On completion of their 1st year, the MBBS students were made aware of the fact that the MCI had rejected their admissions on grounds of not having given approval to the medical college due to the insufficient faculty and facilities.

The Council 2016 disapproval was seconded by the Hyderabad High Court when the society put in an application to defend itself. The court instead directed for a refund of fee money to the MBBS students by the medical college.

The NTR University went a step further by disallowing the students from taking their annual exam on the grounds that the facility did not possess an MCI recognition and their admissions were, therefore, being considered as "against norms."

Ever since a battle has ensued between the medical college authorities and parents of the students admitted to FIMS. SC had taken on the case and was investigating the incidents related to the cancellation of seats by the MCI

Read Also: SC provides relief to 100 Fathima Medical College students

In 2017, the Supreme Court ordered de-recognition of FIMS which had instantaneously escalated tensions at Dr NTR University of Health Sciences. The medical students were extremely upset over de-recognition. They had staged a protest and threatened to commit suicide by jumping from the university administrative building.

Read Also: Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences students threaten mass suicide

The Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu tried to bring the medical students from their cell tower from which the students were threatening to jump; held a meeting with the Fathima students, telling them that the state government would ask the apex education regulator to see whether admission could be provided to them for the next academic session of the medical college.

Read Also: State government to approach MCI, Centre for Fathima Medical College students

In the middle of the issue, National Eligibility cum Entrance Test NEET was introduced as the gateway to UG medical courses all across the country and from FIMS, 80 students appeared for the exam and 65 qualified. The students ahd not been relocated and the medical college management was not refunding the amount paid for two academic years for MBBS course.

Read Also: Give Us Admission: 65 Fathima Medical College NEET qualifiers protest at University gates

As many as 100 students paid up to RS 50 lakh each. The FIMS management collected a total amount of Rs 70 crore from the students during the academic year for MBBS admission into the medical college.

Now, after the matter reached to the notice of the state's CM, he sanctioned an amount pf Rs 13 crore towards payment of the fees of these MBBS students.

Rs 13 crore was released by NTR University of Health Sciences for those students who qualified in NEET 2018 and got seats under B Category, confirms a recent report by TNIE.