2 weeks ago
Private Medical Colleges Barred From Charging MBBS Internship Fee
Doctors in India study MBBS, which means being a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
Students learn in classrooms for four and a half years.
After that, they must do a one-year internship at a hospital.
Some private medical colleges in Telangana asked students to pay fees for that internship year too.
But a special committee said that is not allowed.
The fees are only for the teaching part, not for the internship.
Students and their parents had complained about the extra demands.
Some colleges even stopped students from coming to class when they did not pay.
The committee said any extra money collected must be given back.
It is also looking into complaints about stipend payments and warned that strict action will be taken.
Telangana's Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) clarified that private medical colleges cannot collect tuition fees for the one-year MBBS internship.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) had earlier directed colleges to charge tuition only for the four-and-a-half-year academic period, excluding the compulsory internship.
Students and parents complained that some colleges demanded fees for the entire five-year period and denied classes, exam hall tickets, biometric attendance and campus entry over fee disputes.
For the 2021–23 block period, the prescribed MBBS fee covering nine academic semesters is to be collected in five instalments, with any fifth-year collection beyond the limit refunded.
TAFRC called stipend-related complaints a 'serious concern' and warned of stringent action against colleges that collect stipend amounts without disbursing or recover stipends after paying.
- Who
- The Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC), private medical colleges in Telangana, and students and parents who filed complaints.
- What
- TAFRC clarified that private medical colleges cannot charge tuition fees for the one-year MBBS internship, which lies beyond the four-and-a-half-year academic period covered by the prescribed fee.
- Where
- Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
- When
- The clarification follows NMC's direction in April this year and applies to students covered by the 2021–23 block period.
- Why
- Colleges were allegedly demanding fees for the entire five-year period even though the prescribed fee covers only nine academic semesters of four-and-a-half years of teaching.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC)
- Ruling
- No tuition fee for the one-year MBBS internship
- Fees cover
- Nine academic semesters (four-and-a-half years)
- Payment plan (2021–23 block)
- Five instalments
- Example fee
- Rs 14.5 lakh annual; Rs 65.25 lakh total for 4.5 years
- NMC directive (April)
- Charge tuition only for the academic period, excluding internship
- Refund rule
- Any fifth-year collection beyond the prescribed limit must be refunded
- Stipend complaints
- Colleges allegedly collected stipend amounts without disbursing or recovered stipends after paying
Sources
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