Thiruvananthapuram: The state government and private medical college managements are on a collision course with the government remaining firm on its decision to take over the admission to all medical seats and the managements planning to approach the Kerala High Court.
The admission supervisory committee headed by Justice J.M. James committee will meet on Monday to discuss the next course of action on the allotment process to self financing medical colleges.
Kerala Private Medical College Management Association secretary Anilkumar Vallil told this newspaper that the association would make admission to all seats from the NEET list on their own if the government insisted to conduct a common counselling for self financing medical seats. “We have the right to do so. The government’s stand is arbitrary,” Mr Vallil said.
Health minister K.K. Shylaja has said the government was willing to hold talks with the managements on the fee structure. The minister who informed her willingness to hold talks again, however, made it clear that the government would not go back on the stand that they would conduct a common counselling for all seats. This decision was taken to ensure merit of students’ admitted to medical colleges and was based on the directive of the Union health ministry, Ms Shylaja told reporters here on Sunday. It was the managements who withdrew from the talks, the minister said.
Ms Shylaja pointed out that the dental colleges had come out for an agreement for a common fee for both government and management quota fee. Sources said that as per the agreement, the fee for both the government quota and management quota was fixed at Rs 4 lakh for BDS courses. However, students admitted to 15 per cent seats in NRI quota would have to pay Rs 5.75 lakh and Rs 4 lakh as interest free deposit. Of the other seats, 10 per cent students in BPL category would get a scholarship which would mean that they would have to pay only Rs 50,000 from their pockets for BDS admisisons.
The admission process was not the only issue that has to be sorted out. The fee structure for self financing medical colleges have also not been finalised yet. Sources said that the KPMCA was ready to go for an agreement if the government agreed on uniform fee structure. Private self financing medical colleges had a multi-layer fee structure last year.
However, the four Medical Colleges under the Inter Church Council namely Puspagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Thiruvalla, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christian Medical College, Kozhancherry, Amala Medical College, Thrissur and Jubilee Medical College, Thrissur who had entered into a three-year agreement with the government last year approving a single tier fee of Rs 4.20 lakh for both government quota and management quota had made clear that there was no need to go for a fresh agreement this year.
The Kerala Private Medical College Management Association (KPMCA) would also submit a petition in the High Court on Monday on the issue. The Christian Medical College Management Association was also planning to move the High Court on the issue on Tuesday.
