UGC, HRD Ministry to consult Health Ministry and MCI for fee regulation at private medical colleges

New Delhi: Attempts are being made by the Central Government to put a rein on the excessively high fee being charged by a few private medical colleges. These efforts have come into play after the Madras High Court passed a ruling which has now prompted Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to form a committee for fee regulation .

However, the technicalities involved don't make the task an easy one.Authorities concerned feel bringing all the colleges involved, under one umbrella will be a difficult task.

The UGC has in a written communiqué to the HRD Ministry suggested that the Ministry of Health and Medical Council of India, the two bodies responsible for the job be consulted in the matter.

34 deemed private institutions in the country offer medical courses. Prior to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) these colleges conducted their own entrance examinations. With the onset of NEET all institutions now have to take on candidates based on NEET scores.

However, some students did not get admission into some of the Puducherry-based private institutions as they were charging allegedly very high fee. The students as an act of retaliation filed a petition in the Madras High Court. The court in its June 16 order asked UGC to form a committee to look into the matter of fee regulation.

A recent report in DNA states that an HRD meeting held last week on the issue could not reach a consensus as a section of officials felt that it would be difficult to bind all private institutions under a single rule. "By fixing a fee cap, we will allow an institution not doing so well and charging lesser to charge a higher amount in the name of the rule. Hence we will have to work out the technicalities in detail before we can come up with a fee regulation rule," said a source.

Despite the Medical Council of India's intermittent reminders to private institutions at regular intervals, to adhere to government fee guidelines many institutions charge a higher fee in the name of capitation and other issues reports DNA.