Chennai: Directorate of medical education (DME) has found merit in complaints that some medical colleges collected tuition fees for the compulsory internship year of the MBBS course, prompting the health department to order a detailed probe.Health minister K G Arunraj ordered the inquiry on Thursday after reviewing reports submitted by teams comprising senior doctors and deans from Kancheepuram, Chengalpet and Madurai. The complaints relate to colleges charging fees for the entire 5.5-year MBBS duration instead of the 4.5-year academic programme. In the final year, students undergo a compulsory rotating internship and receive a stipend.Under National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations, colleges cannot collect tuition fees for the internship period. Annual tuition fees for private institutions, excluding deemed universities, are fixed by the fee fixation committee. At present, MBBS tuition in private colleges ranges from ₹4.35 lakh to ₹5.40 lakh for government-quota seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities, and from ₹15 lakh to ₹16.20 lakh for management-quota seats.Last month, parents and students from several institutions wrote to the government alleging overcharging. A DME-appointed committee, formed to examine the complaints, submitted its preliminary findings two days ago.Officials said the committee found that some colleges had collected at least five years’ tuition fees from students. “College managements told the committee that they had returned 50% of the fifth-year fee, either as a lump sum or in 12 instalments along with the monthly stipend paid to students. Some colleges also charged ₹100 to ₹500 for every day of delayed fee payment,” a senior official said. However, details of the amounts collected and the refunds made were not available.During discussions with the health minister, officials decided that the extent of fee collection and whether the money had actually been refunded required closer scrutiny. A fresh committee of senior doctors posted outside the districts where the colleges are located will now conduct the inquiry.“The investigators will examine college records, including fee structures, admission documents and receipts issued to students. They will also check whether fees were collected directly from students or through any other mechanism. This will ensure the inquiry is free from local influence. The team will submit its report in 10 days,” a senior official from the health minister’s office said.Officials are also considering action against institutions found to have violated the approved fee structure. At present, the DME forwards student complaints to the fee fixation committee, which can recommend action by the NMC. “This will take time. We are looking at options, including amendments to existing legislation, to empower state universities to disaffiliate colleges that overcharge students,” a senior official said.
