MBBS Admissions: Medical Course fee escalation by 15 percent likely in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Medical Fee is likely to escalate with private self-financing colleges across the medical and paramedical spectrum demanding a 10% to 30% hike in fees.

According to sources in the retired Justice Akshay Mehta Fee Regulation Committee, a 15% escalation in the present basic medical course fee structure is expected. The seventh pay commission salaries to staff and inflation are some of the reasons that have led to private and government self-financed medical colleges demanding a fee hike.

Senior education department officials say private medical colleges which carry a strength of 3,680 seats are likely to witness a fee hike between Rs 45,000 to Rs 2.55 lakh per annum. A Rs. 1.5 lakh per annum escalation in PG Medical Course fee is also expected with the present scale being close to Rs. 1.5 lakh.

18,085 medical, dental, paramedical, ayurvedic, nursing and physiotherapy seats are offered by private self-financing colleges in Gujarat.

CU Shah medical college has demanded a hike in fee from the present Rs 3.75 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. Hemant Shah, the College trustee, told TOI, “We have demanded a fee hike owing to the seventh pay commission salary implementation and inflation.”

270 private medical colleges had been asked for fee details and audit reports by the FRC in December last year, for scrutiny. It had gone a step further by conducting surprise checks.

The Fee Regulating Committee checked details like cost of land, classrooms, library, reading rooms college building, conference rooms, common rooms, auditoriums, examination halls, administrative offices, hospital and hostel expenses, as well as interest paid alongside other financial costs.

The government promoted medical colleges running self-financed courses like NHL at AMC Municipal Medical College, LG college in Ahmedabad and the eight LG college in Gujarat, which presently charge a fee between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4.96 lakh; and may introduce a hike of Rs 45,000 to 74,400 per annum.

The government plays a supportive role in these colleges by paying the salaries of professors, paramedics, administrative staff and even funding construction of new structures. The spectrum of colleges has 1,550 medical seats.

According to Dean NHL Municipal College, Pankaj Patel told TOI, “Our fees are Rs 4.96 lakh and now we have demanded a 15% to 20 % hike citing establishment costs and salaries.”

There are just 1,500 seats in government medical and dental colleges with the fee being Rs 6,000 in medical colleges and Rs 4,000 in dental colleges, respectively.

“Most of these government seats are occupied by merit holders, while for difference of a mark, we have to opt for private medical or government self-financed courses,” revealed a parent.