Govt decides to 'cap' private medical colleges' fee

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has decided to cap the fee of private medical and dental colleges, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the decision was taken to control the exorbitant fees charged by these institutions, which can go up to Rs. 3.5 million per year.

Sources revealed that a maximum limit will be set for the fees and the new fee structure will be lower than the current fees charged by private medical colleges.

The government’s primary objective is to curb unchecked fee increases and ensure that quality education is made accessible to all.

Consultations regarding the fee cap have been completed, and a final decision is expected soon.

Earlier, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) banned the collection of fees by private medical and dental colleges.

As per details, the PMDC had sent a notice to the institutions to avoid collecting fees following a recommendation by the Senate Committee. The Senate’s Health Sub-Committee had advised the suspension of fee collection.

A ban was imposed on fee collection until the Medical Education Committee submits its recommendations. This committee, headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, was formed by the Prime Minister to review the situation.

In 2012, the PMDC capped annual fees for private medical colleges at Rs500,000 with a five per cent annual increase, but this regulation was disregarded by many institutions.

It may be noted that in July last year, the PMDC approached the health ministry seeking its legal opinion to bring uniformity to the fee structure. However, even after almost six months, the issue of exorbitant fees could not be addressed.