Puducherry students demand private medical colleges fees on par with TN based institutes, write to Fee Committee

Puducherry: Upset with the fee structure in the private medical colleges and minority-run medical colleges in the Union Territory, the Puducherry State Students' and Parents' Welfare Association has recently requested the Fee Committee constituted by the UT Government for ensuring that the fees fixed in the private institutes are on par with the fees structure of private medical institutes in Tamil Nadu.

Submitting a memorandum to the Fee Committee chaired by the retired Judge of Madras High Court, Justice T. Sudanthiram, the association prayed the committee for fixing the fees in private medical colleges and minority institutes in compliance with the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC). 

Requesting the fee panel to comply with the apex medical body's guidelines in order to protect the interests of meritorious students from the UT, the president of the association, V. Bala alias Balasubramanian further requested Justice Sudanthiram to ensure that the fee structure remains in force for a consecutive period of three years.

Also Read: MBBS, BDS Fees increase at Tamil Nadu private medical colleges

As per the latest media report by The Hindu, although the Fee panel set up by the UT Government had hiked the fees in the private medical colleges from Rs 3.8 lakh to Rs 4.8 lakh, it was temporarily stayed by Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. The authorities stayed the fee hike while considering the pandemic and its economic impact on the families.

However, now the Puducherry State Students' and Parents' Welfare Association has urged the Fee panel of the UT to fix the fees for the private medical colleges and minority-run medical colleges on par with the Tamil Nadu private institutes.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that recently the Fee Committee in Tamil Nadu revised the MBBS/BDS fee structure. As per the new fee structure, the the students getting admission in the private institutes must pay an amount ranging from Rs 4.3 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh per year.

In a memorandum directed to the chairman of the Puducherry Fee Committee, Justice, T. Sudanthiram, the President of the State Students' and Parents' Welfare Association of Puducherry, V. Bala alias Balasubramanian referred to the new fee structure of Tamil Nadu private medical institutes and prayed to fix the fees in Puducherry based institutes in the similar manner.

Apart from this, the association also urged the Puducherry government for obtaining 65% and 50% seats in the private medical institutes and minority-run medical colleges under the government quota on par with Tamil Nadu.

V. Bala alias Balasubramanian mentioned in the memorandum that previous governments could not obtain more than 35% of seats and as a result, the students belonging to the Union Territory were deprived of their right to obtain seats under the government quota in the private medical colleges.

Also Read: MBBS fees remain unchanged in Maharashtra Private medical colleges this year, fees reduced by 40 percent at one College