CM Pinarayi Vijayan to solve fee issue of self-financing medical colleges

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has convened a meeting on Wednesday to settle the impasse relating to fixing the fee structure for MBBS courses in self-financing medical colleges. Kerala Private Medical College Manag-ement Association (KPMCA) secretary Anilkumar Vallil told DC that the government had invited the association for further talks on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the sitting of the admission supervisory committee headed by Justice J.M. James committee has decided to wait till the outcome of the meeting before further proceeding in the self-financing medical college issue. This was decided at the meeting of the committee held here on Tuesday. Justice James told DC that both the government and the managements were yet to arrive at a decision on the fee structure in colleges. The committee would look into the fee structure once it was finalised.

“There is no hurry as the deadline for the Medical Council of India (MCI) for completing the admission procedure was September 30,” Justice James said. The impasse was over the demand of the managements for a uniform fee structure for both management and government quota seats. This decision was opposed by the State government during the talks between Health Minister K.K. Shylaja and representatives of self-financing medical colleges. The government stand was that there should be a differential fee structure for merit and management quota.