Karnataka private medical colleges seek a fee hike from next year

Karnataka private medical colleges seek a fee hike from next year
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Several colleges have submitted a letter to Dept seeking a hike

Despite the State Medical Education Minister saying that there will be no hike in the medical fee from next year, sources said that several private medical education have submitted a letter to the Department of Medical Education seeking a fee hike. The colleges have stated that the standard of medical technologies has risen and it needs a financial push.

Last year, the Karnataka Government had decided to hike the medical and dental (MBBS & BDS) fee in private institutions by 15 per cent for the academic year 2019-20. But there was no change in the fee at the government medical and dental colleges in the State.

A year before that there was a hike of 8 per cent and last year over and above that, the government had agreed to the demands from the private medical and dental colleges in the State to increase fee by another 15 per cent. A total of 23 per cent of fee hike in just two years had left the students in shock.

With this hike, the government quota seats in medical colleges last year had a fee of Rs 1.11 lakh, while institutional quota seats had a fee of Rs 7.85 lakh. Similarly, in dental colleges the fees for the 2019-2020 academic year was Rs 72,484 for government quota seats and Rs 5.32 lakh for institutional quota seats.

A source told Bangalore Mirror, “Several medical colleges have asked for a hike in the fee from next year. They have stated that the medical technologies have advanced currently and the colleges are upgrading their facility. Since the industry is growing exponentially, the colleges are demanding for a fee hike.”

Earlier, the fees were decided after consultation with a fee regulation committee that was headed by a top judge from the High Court of Karnataka.

In 2018, however, this committee completed its tenure and since then no appointments have been made to this panel. The government has also so far kept mum on it.
An expert said, “Usually, the committee meant to fix the fee used to get proposals from the private management of colleges. This would be followed by discussions, around this time of the year. But this year, the government has still not constituted the committee even though the academic year is almost over. Now with just two months away, there is still no word on it.”

Another faction of private college managements’ said that though have not approached the state government yet, but there would still be a hike in the fee structure for the upcoming academic year. Sources from the Medical Education Department said, “The decision on the fee for the next year will be taken by the office of the Directorate Medical Education (DME).”



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