Capitation fee of pvt medical colleges can't be stopped: Azad

Updated on: Friday, August 27, 2010

Capitation fee charged by private medical colleges cannot be stopped unless the centre and the state governments help them financially, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in the Rajya Sabha today.

Replying to the debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill to replace the scam-ridden MCI with a new Board of Governors, he said, "If the central and the state governments do not help these colleges financially, it would be wrong to think that they would not
charge capitation fee."

Azad said it required around Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore to set up a medical college and the annual recurring expenditure was around Rs 35 crore. He wondered how the private medical colleges were meeting the recurring expenditure even after charging a capitation fee of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per student.

At this, Brinda Karat (CPI-M) charged Azad with justifying capitation fee and wondered how could he say so.

The minister said he was not justifying capitation fee. "The issue has to be flagged and solution found. No medical colleges are coming up in public sector. Government and Parliament have to think on it..." he said.

Capitation fee of pvt medical colleges can't be stopped: Azad

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