Private medical colleges wait for government nod to hike MBBS management quota fees

Hyderabad: Private medical colleges efforts to get a five per cent hike in tuition fees for management quota (B and C categories) from this academic year onwards have not fructified with no response yet from the State government.

With Kaloji Health University already starting the process to fill B category seats (over 1,250 seats) in private medical colleges with seat allotment set to take place over the next few days, it is certain that fee structure of the previous academic year will continue even for the present academic year (2019-20).

The existing fee structure in private medical colleges (non-minority) is Rs 11.55 lakh tuition fee per year for B category seats and Rs 23.1 lakh for C category (or NRI quota seats). The private medical colleges have written to the State government, few weeks ago, seeking its nod to increase five per cent on the existing fees, which would have come to an additional increase of Rs 57,000 on B category and Rs 1.15 lakh on the NRI or C category.

Government-approved this new fee structure for private medical colleges in 2016 and also gave nod for the hike of five per cent of fees for management quota seats every year. However, college managements say this hike decision was not implemented in the 2017 and 2018 and still the same fee structure was in place.

Hence, the colleges association had written a letter to the government to give nod to implement the five per cent hike decision at least from the present academic year.

Telangana Private Medical and Dental Colleges Association president C Lakshmi Narasimha Rao stated that they have written to government well in advance on this issue, but he rued no decision was taken so far.

Meanwhile, private medical colleges are keenly waiting for the meeting with Health Minister Eatala Rajender to discuss about various issues concerning them. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced in the recent Assembly session that Health Minister would sit with private college managements soon and if required he would also intervene to find a solution. College managements say that no progress was seen on this issue and they are pursuing with the Health Minister to convene a meeting soon.