ISLAMABAD: After the intervention of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and Pakistan Association of Private Medical and Dental Institutions (PAMI) have reached an agreement on the fee structure of medical colleges.

The agreement (copy available with Dawn), which will be announced in a few days, states that the annual fee will be increased from Rs800,000 to Rs950,000. Moreover, every student would have to pay Rs50,000 as the admission fee along with 5pc tax.

With regard to the financial sustainability, the students will submit a wealth statement equivalent to five years’ tuition fee, income tax return of parent/guardian besides an insurance certificate to ensure the payment of fees for the remaining duration in case of demise of the parent/guardian.

Under an agreement, annual fee will increase from Rs800,000 to Rs950,000 and every student will have to pay Rs50,000 as admission fee and 5pc tax

However, both the council and PAMI agreed that admission would be held through the centralised induction policy.

In December last year, the CJP took suo motu notice of the exorbitant fees charged by private medical colleges and lack of a uniform admission policy.

The apex court also called a report from the PMDC registrar and made it clear that unjustified increase in the fees would not be allowed.

Private medical colleges over the years not only increased fees by introducing a number of new heads but were also accused of taking donations from the students seeking admissions.

In 2010, the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice of the fees of medical colleges. Later, it was decided that per student fee would be Rs550,000 and every year it would be increased by 7pc.

In 2013, though the fees were increased to Rs642,000, promises made by the private medical colleges such as providing 50pc free beds to patients in attached hospitals and facilities to students could not be implemented.

In 2016, the PMDC introduced the centralised induction system to stop the private colleges from receiving donations from students.

But the colleges refused to implement it and obtained stay orders from different courts across the country.

In 2017, once again the PMDC started negotiations with the private colleges and it was decided that the annual fee would be increased from Rs642,000 to Rs800,000 with a condition that the medical colleges would provide all facilities and quality education to the students and stop receiving donations from them.

The colleges were also directed to admit students through the centralised induction system.

However, in November 2017, the Lahore High Court allowed private medical colleges to admit students on their own as it believed that the PMDC had no powers to take such decisions. Later, the CJP took notice of the issue.

The agreement claims that on the directions of the CJP representatives of PAMI were invited to the PMDC and after detailed discussions on the tuition fee and the central admission test, a consensus was reached.

It was decided that a single admission test would be conducted for MBBS and BDS in provinces, regions and the Islamabad capital territory and a merit list would be displayed within seven days after the announcement of the test result.

After the centralised admission test and the display of merit list for the public sector medical/dental colleges, the admitting university shall invite applications for admissions in the private sector along with the choice/preference of the students.

The merit list would be displayed within the next seven days.

The agreement added that a representative of PAMI would be included in the admission committee, comprising the vice chancellor of the admitting university, the secretary health or his nominee, two members of the PMDC nominated by its president of whom one will be from the representative province, principal/dean of one medical or dental college.

The chairperson of the provincial or regional admission committee will be the vice chancellor of the admitting university.

PAMI General Secretary Khaqan Waheed Khawaja told Dawn that though the fee had been increased a little, the centralised induction policy would ensure that no college demanded donation from students.

“Students would have to pay Rs950,000 annual fee, Rs50,000 as onetime admission fee and 5pc tax. In the past, PAMI never agreed to adopt the centralised induction policy but now if any member college violates the policy or takes donation, it would be excluded from the association,” he said.

In reply to a question, Mr Khawaja said the new policy would be implemented from upcoming admissions which would start in October, and would be implemented on all the students who were admitted in the past and have not completed their MBBS or BDS.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2018