ISLAMABAD: In order to settle the controversy surrounding the fees of private medical colleges ahead of the entry test, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has approached the health ministry seeking its legal opinion on the capping of fees to bring uniformity.

The council requested the ministry to seek the advice of the Law and Justice Department within 15 days to enable the council to reach a decision since it wanted to resolve the issue before new admissions to the private colleges.

A senior official of the health ministry, wishing not to be named, told Dawn that the ministry received a letter from the PMDC for the fixation of the fees for private medical and dental colleges. “Unfortunately thousands of parents have been complaining about the exorbitant fees... Now the ball is in our court and we will ensure that the fees of the medical colleges become reasonable,” he assured.

According to the letter, the PMDC in 2010 and 2012 fixed the tuition fee for private medical and dental colleges at Rs500,000 and Rs600,00 per annum, respectively. The council later allowed a 7pc increase and fixed it at Rs642,000.

Health ministry requested to seek input from law department on fees within 15 days

It stated that the Supreme Court in March 2018 – while deciding a suo motu case – directed medical colleges in Pakistan to refund the amount excess of Rs850,000 which was received from their students for that session. It stated that in 2018 the tuition fee for private colleges was fixed at Rs850,000 initially and later at Rs950,000 based upon a Supreme Court order dated September 17, 2018. Subsequently, a 5pc annual increase in the tuition fee was allowed for the session 2020-21.

The letter added that the PMDC was re-constituted under the PMDC Act, 2022. “All medical and dental colleges shall, at least three months prior to initiating the annual admissions process, publicly declare the fixed tuition and all ancillary fee structure on an annual basis for the entire programme of study in which the students are seeking enrolment and [of] which fee structure shall not be enhanced during the students period of enrolment at the college,” it stated.

The letter said the fee structure obtained from private colleges for sessions 2022-23 and 2023-24 showed a lack of uniformity/standardisation in the tuition fees being charged by these colleges. The letter also mentioned numerous complaints from students regarding the exorbitant tuition fees being charged by the colleges. “Now, in the larger interest of medical/dental students seeking admissions in private colleges, the council intends to set a maximum limit for the tuition fee for all private colleges for uniformity and standardisation to be applied across the country,” it stated.

“...your esteemed office is being approached to seek an opinion from the Law and Justice Department as to whether the tuition fee be fixed keeping in view the annual inflation rate based upon the Economic Survey of Pakistan issued by the Statistics Bureau of Pakistan or otherwise,” it stated.

“Since the National MDCAT is nearing and this office wants the matter of tuition fees to be resolved prior to the admissions made in private colleges, therefore the PMDC requests your office to seek the opinion from the Law and Justice Department in the matter within 15 days, to enable the council to make a decision well in time in the larger interest of students and public at large,” it stated.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024