‘Govt fee in private medical colleges counter-productive’

The Association of Managements of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges (AMUPMDC) said this move could even force the closure of several colleges.

The ruling LDF has now managed to secure the recognition again through collective effort and meticulous planning.(Representational)

A RECENT government order asking private medical colleges to offer 50% of their seats at rates equivalent to those prevailing in government colleges could be counter-productive and result in massive hike in fees for the other half of the seats, Maharashtra’s biggest association of private medical and dental colleges has argued.

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The Association of Managements of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges (AMUPMDC) said this move could even force the closure of several colleges. “It will dramatically increase the fee structure for the other half of the students, and we are unlikely to get students willing to pay such high fees. So, if the government does not offer us support, there was this likelihood of several colleges shutting down,” Dr Ashish Deshmukh, Secretary of AMUPMDC, told The Indian Express.

The National Medical Commission, the regulatory body for medical education in the country, had, in a recent notification, ordered that at least 50% seats in private medical colleges must only charge fees that are applicable in government colleges. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a “major decision” for the students coming from poor and middle-income households.

However, Deshmukh argued that this could be counter-productive, and that he had already flagged this issue at a meeting with Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya two weeks ago.

“This will result in a steep increase in the fee structure. Do we have the capacity to pay the overall (increased) cost of medical education in the country? This issue has to be tackled by NMC and a policy has to be put in place,” he said. But the Indian Medical Association has welcomed the government decision.

“Private Medical Colleges with the costly fee structures have made medical education impossible and unaffordable for deserving poor students. Limited medical seats in government colleges, and skyrocketing fees in private colleges is the situation in the country. These facts are forcing students to go abroad for medical education. Ongoing evacuation process of Indian medical students from war-torn Ukraine has exposed these facts,” Mangesh Pate, secretary of the Maharashtra chapter of IMA said in a statement.

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Dr Pravin Shingare, former Director of Medical Education and Research in Maharashtra pointed out the government move would have the effect of one student paying for the cost of the other.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

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