The government has promulgated an ordinance to streamline admissions to private medical colleges.
The ordinance which precedes the Kerala Medical Education (Regulation and Control of Admission to Private Medical Colleges) Bill, 2017 mandates the constitution of a committee headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Court to fix the fee and admission norms.
The committee would have representatives of the government and the Medical Council of India on board.
The fee to be decided by the committee would be applicable for students up to the end of the course, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday.
Any excess amount collected from students would be counted as capitation fee.
The regulatory committee would have the powers of a civil court to handle complaints about irregularities in admission and fee. It would fix the fee and finalise an agreement with the managements.
Violation of the pact would attract a fine of up to ₹10 lakh. The committee can also cancel irregular admissions and direct the college to return the excess fee to students.
All-party meeting
Mr. Vijayan said the ordinance was issued on the basis of the decisions taken at an all-party meeting following the Supreme Court order making the NEET exam mandatory for admission to medical colleges.
While admission to MBBS and BDS courses would be based on the NEET exam, students of other paramedical courses would be admitted on the basis of their performance in the exam conducted by the government.
Mr. Vijayan said the government would ensure reservation for SC/ST students in admission to all medical colleges other than minority institutions.