Fee row: 43 PG medical candidates in distress

     Pondicherry

Self-financing colleges refuse to accept fee fixed by panel

The fate of nearly 43 candidates who had selected post-graduate medical courses in the self-financing medical colleges through the Centralised Admission Committee (Centac) is uncertain as the managements have refused to accept the fee structure fixed by the committee.

In an effort to resolve the issue, the government on Friday convened a meeting with representatives of the medical institutions. In the meeting headed by Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, representatives of Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Sri Venkateshwara Medical College and Manakula Vinayagar Medical College discussed their problems in accepting the fee structure and demanded that the fees for the PG medical courses should not be less than Rs. 25 lakh.

‘Not consulted’

An official representing PIMS told The Hindu that the fee fixed now was not viable for self-financing medical institutions. “We were not consulted before the fee was fixed by the committee. The government has asked us to submit our suggestions in writing within a couple of days. We cannot decrease the fee announced on our website,” said the official.

Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao told presspersons that nearly 43 candidates had selected self-financing medical colleges to pursue PG medical and dental courses under the government quota. “The fee committee has fixed Rs. 5.50 lakh for these colleges. Since these institutions have refused to accept this fee structure, we wanted to resolve this immediately as going to court will take a lot of time,” he said.

MLAs Lakshminarayanan, S.V. Sugumaran, Education Secretary Narendra Kumar, and Law Secretary G. Senthilkumar were present.

The Centac counselling for PG medical and dental seats were held on April 4, 11, 18 and 19. The government had fixed a fee of Rs. 3 lakh for the candidates who selected self-financing colleges through Centac counselling under government quota. Following this, Fee Committee Chairman Justice S. Rajeswaran held a meeting on May 23 and fixed the fees at Rs. 5.50 lakh for PG medical courses for the candidates under government quota. The self-financing colleges rejected this.

The Chief Minister is meeting Higher Education Fee Committee Chairman soon and the fee will be decided by May 29.