MBBS graduates who are aspiring for a post graduate seat (PG) in Telangana demanded that the hike in course fee at private medical colleges to be rolled back. Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) and Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), who are spearheading their cause, questioned the rationale behind increasing the fee by over 100% for clinical courses. Along with miscellaneous costs, the total fee for three years is up to ₹ 30 lakh for clinical courses under Competent Authority quota.
Vice Chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KRUHS) B. Karunakar Reddy said that Telangana Admission and Fee Regulation Committee (TAFRC) had taken into consideration the audited income and expenditure statements submitted by private medical colleges before deciding the fee structure.
While pursuing MBBS course, medicos take National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) to qualify for counselling for PG seats. There are 2044 PG seats in clinical and non-clinical courses in Telangana — 887 in government medical colleges and the rest in private medical colleges. Further, the seats are divided into Category A (Competent Authority quota), Category B (Management quota), and Category C (NRI quota).
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Convenor seats
The issue emerged when Telangana Health and Family Welfare Department issued a government order which states that fee under convenor seats for Clinical courses at private medical colleges would range between ₹ 7 lakh to ₹ 7.75 lakh per annum. It was only ₹ 3.5 lakh last year. This is over 100% increase. The new fee structure is approved based on recommendation by TAFRC.
“Many students, especially from poor and middle class backgrounds cannot afford this fee structure,” HRDA president K. Mahesh Kumar said.
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The KNRUHS Vice Chancellor said that the private medical colleges agreed to abide by Medical Council of India (MCI) rules to pay stipend, which is around ₹ 6 lakh (due for revision) per annum.
‘Re-audit financials’
TJUDA president K. U. N. Vishnu requested authorities concerned to re-audit the financial data submitted by private medical colleges to TAFRC. They met State Health Minister Eatala Rajender with a request to revoke the order hiking the fee.
A few aspirants said that the Government Order dated April 14 was made public only on May 4 — two days before exercising web options for counselling. “All of us were prepared only for ₹ 3.5 lakh. Some worked hard, saved the money. But they were in for a rude shock on May 4 when they learnt that the fee was increased to ₹ 7 lakh. They are struggling to gather the additional amount,” said an aspirant.
Dr. Vishnu said that a few of them who were prepared for only ₹ 3.5 lakh per annum fee will be forced to let go of the seat under Category A quota if they don’t get more time, and they might end up losing a year. “We have requested our Health Minister to extend time for web options,” the TJUDA president said.