3 private medical colleges get notices for demanding exorbitant fees

PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry government has issued show cause notices on three private medical colleges and hospitals on charges of demanding exorbitant fees from the students joining PG medical courses as against the fees fixed by the government-constituted committee.

Deputy secretary (health) M Sarathi, in the notices dated May 9, said the health secretariat has received several complaints that Sri Manakula Vinayagar medical college and hospital (SMVMC), Sri Venkateshwaraa medical college hospital and research centre (SVMCH) and Pondicherry institute of medical sciences (Pims) had demanded excess fees of Rs 7.5 lakh, Rs 3.7 lakh and Rs 9 lakh respectively as hostel and other fees from the students sponsored by the centralised admission committee (Centac).

“Demanding huge hostel fee form the students is against the directions of the fee committee warranting penal action… why appropriate action should not be initiated against the institutes for demanding exorbitant hostel fees/other fees,” he said. He warned that the government will initiate necessary action against the institutes if they failed to respond to the show cause notice.

Centac allotted 98 PG medical seats (63 government seats and 35 management seats) in these three private medical colleges for the academic year 2018-19 and directed the students to join the respective colleges before May 10. However, the students and parents’ forums have charged that private medical colleges demanded exorbitant fees and denied admission to a majority of the students when they refused to pay the huge fees. They also charged that the private colleges have demanded the students to sign a bond declaring that they will serve the institutions for one year on completion of the programme, failing which the students will have to pay Rs 20 lakh.

The fee committee, headed by retired Madras HC judge Justice S Rajeswaran, in March this year had prescribed Rs 6.78 lakh (clinical courses) and Rs 5.55 lakh (non-clinical courses) as annual fees under government quota and Rs 20.34 lakh (clinical) and Rs 11.1 lakh (non-clinical) as annual fees under management quota for the two academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19.

“The fee is an all-inclusive annual fee, including various fees like admission fee, tuition fee, special fee, laboratory/computer maintenance and amenities fee, extracurricular activities fee and other recurring expenditures. In addition, the institutions are permitted to collect an amount of Rs 50,000 per student as development fee. The committee directs that the institutions shall not charge either directly or indirectly any other amount over and above fixed as fees. If any amount is charged under any other head or guise e.g. donations, the same would amount to the charging of capitation,” the justice said.

The committee warned that the government will initiate serious penal actions like withdrawal of approval of Medical Council of India, cancellation of essentiality certificate and disaffiliation by the university concerned, besides imposition of fine.