NMC-mandated fee panel for med courses unlikely this year

The state government is unlikely to follow instructions by the National Medical Council (NMC) on fixing fees for undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses for the current academic year.

As per the NMC’s diktat, every state has to constitute a fee regulatory authority headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Court.

This committee should decide the fee in every college based on infrastructure and other parameters.

A fee regulatory committee exists in the state, but there is no clarity on whether the same panel can continue or a new one has to be constituted.

The medical education department has written to the NMC, seeking clarity.

“We have written to NMC, asking if we can go ahead with the existing committee, but have not received any response,” said an official.

Currently, former High Court judge Justice Subhash B Adi is heading the committee.

“What we have currently is the fee regulatory committee and what NMC advised is an authority. We have sought clarity regarding that also,” the official mentioned.

Officials from the department and representatives of medical colleges say that the government should have started the process early if it wanted to fix fees for the 2022-23 academic year.

“Even if the government starts the process in July, it takes at least three months to complete the process and fix the fees for all colleges in the state,” an official said.

NMC guideline

Based on the Centre’s request, the NMC had constituted an expert committee for the determination of fees in MBBS and postgraduate medical courses and other charges in respect of private medical colleges and deemed-to-be universities.

Guidelines say that the fee for 50% of the seats in private medical colleges and deemed-to-be universities should be on a par with the fees in government medical colleges of that particular state.

The NMC has clearly mentioned that no institution should charge capitation fees in any form or manner.

Once the fees is implemented, there will be no room for negotiation of fees between private medical college managements and the state government.

In 2018, the state fee regulatory committee headed by retired High Court judge D V Shylendra Kumar had recommended a fee hike of only 8%.

In 2018, the government reached a consensus agreement to decide on fees.