Pune: Due to the conflict between private medical colleges in the State and the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA), as many as 182 medical students’ future is in doubt as 12 out of 22 private medical colleges have frozen admissions.
They have said that unless their demands are met by FRA and the State government, they will not proceed with further admissions. FRA is trying to set a bracket on the fee charged by private medical colleges.
“Our only demand is that expenses of medical education in private colleges should be at par with government colleges. Annual cost of expenditure of government and aided colleges is Rs 300 crore, while private colleges are expected to run their course with Rs 25 crore to 30 crore only,” said Kamalkishore Kadam, President of Association of Management of Unaided and Private Medical and Dental Colleges (AMUPMDC). It is feared that 50 per cent seats are likely to remain vacant in private medical colleges.
They further said that government-run colleges get a 99 per cent subsidy from the State government, whereas private medical colleges are independently run. “If the State government is willing to share 50 per cent of the burden, then the fees can be reduced. But as private colleges are independent entities, allow us to manage our affairs accordingly. Moreover, medical aspirants should know that medical education is expensive,” said Kadam.
Pravin Shingare, Director of the State Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), said that the fight is between private colleges and the FRA.
“However, it is the students who are suffering as a result of this. Private colleges should take up this issue during the other 11 months rather than now, just ahead of admissions. We have given a warning to these colleges to finish admissions, failing which, they won’t be allowed to take up this batch,” said Shingare.
