Restore Previous Fee Structure in Government Medical Colleges, Students and parents urge AP Govt

Vijayawada: Upset with the State Government Order to implement Self-financing and NRI quota seats in government medical colleges, the MBBS students and their parents have urged the Government for restoring the previous fee structure.

They have also requested the authorities to reconsider the GO and preserve the benefits provided to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), and other categories in the new medical colleges.

The concerned G.O. Ms. No. 107 was published in the Official Gazette by the State Health Department on July 19, 2023. Issuing the Government Order, the State amended the Andhra Pradesh Government Professional Institutions (Regulation of Admissions into Undergraduate Medical and Dental Professional Courses) Rules, 2004.

According to the amended rules, in case of the Government Medical Colleges permitted from the academic year 2023-2024 onwards, 15% of the total medical seats will be allocated to the All India Quota and the remaining 85% seats shall be allocated under three categories- General Category, Self-financing category, and NRI category.

Further, the State issued G.O Ms No. 108 and clarified the fee structure for the MBBS course in the Government Medical Colleges permitted in the State from this academic year i.e. 2023-2024 onwards. According to the Government Order, the MBBS students taking admission in these newly constituted GMCs will have to pay Rs 15,000 per annum if they secure a seat in the General Category. They be liable to pay Rs 12 lakh per annum for Self-financing category seats and Rs 20 lakhs for NRI category seats.

Also Read: Doctors Oppose Govt Decision to Implement Self-Financing, NRI Quota in AP GMCs

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Andhra Pradesh Junior Doctors' Association (AP JUDA) had demanded a rollback of the concerned Government orders and wrote to the Principal Secretary of the State Health Department.

"We would also like to remind that no state in the country have these categorization and massive fee of 12-20 Lakhs per annum as a Government medical college. So, we urge the government to take back the GO MS No 107 and help the young generation of Andhra Pradesh to have an opportunity to aspire to become a good doctor and be useful for the entire nation. If not withdrawn, we are forced to go for strike as a last resort," the association had mentioned in the letter.

As per the latest media report by The New Indian Express, now the State's decision has been opposed by the students, parents, and educationalists and the parents have already urged the authorities to restore the previous fee structure by reconsidering the G.O. and preserving benefits provided to SC, ST, BC and other categories in the new medical institutes.

The President of the Praja Rogya Vedika (PAV), an NGO, Dr. MV Ramanaiah already wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in this regard and expressed his concerns. Speaking to TNIE, he said, “This fee categorisation has the potential to erode the core essence of new government medical colleges, which have historically been instrumental in providing accessible and affordable education. The close resemblance to private college fee structure might inadvertently lead to a shift towards privatisation, contrary to the original intent of government-run institutions.”