Medical colleges accused of illegally jacking up fees
A group of medical students has come forward, accusing private medical colleges in Telangana of collecting unauthorised fees. They have called upon the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC), and the government to promptly intervene in what they describe as an 'illegal business.' One medical student from a private college stated that a representation had already been sent to the NMC regarding the unauthorised fee collection by an institution in Telangana. He claimed his college was reportedly charging Rs 11,55,000 per annum for five years under B-Category MBBS admissions, cumulatively amounting to Rs 57,75,000. This, he argued, is a direct violation of GO MS No 5, issued on 27 January 2022, and the fee structure approved by the TAFRC, which explicitly sets the total MBBS course fee at Rs 51,97,500, payable in five equal annual instalments of Rs 10,39,500. The student highlighted that the excess amount of Rs 5,77,500, equivalent to an additional six months' fee, places an unjust financial burden on students and their families.
The medico emphasised that such violations compromise the affordability and transparency of medical education. They sought immediate attention and corrective action from the concerned authorities, urging agencies to investigate this clear deviation from approved norms, direct the colleges to strictly adhere to the prescribed fee structure, and prevent arbitrary and unauthorised fee collections in the future. Despite several requisitions over the past two years, no action has been taken so far, the student added.
Interestingly, the TAFRC had issued a clarification in 2022, stating that the fee fixed by the committee for the entire MBBS course, which spans four years and is divided into nine semesters, was designed to alleviate the financial burden on students by being split into five equal instalments over the four-year course. The committee recommended that the fee should be collected at the beginning of each academic year in five equal instalments and that managements should not collect fees in advance. It was also clarified that candidates who were detained or failed during their course and continued their studies should not be charged fees again for that academic year, as they had already paid. The students are now appealing to the government to intervene and prevent them from being overcharged.
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