WARANGAL: Parents of medical students staged a protest in front of the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) in Warangal on Friday, alleging irregularities in private medical colleges. They submitted a representation to KNRUHS Vice Chancellor Dr K Ramesh Reddy.
Speaking to the media, Telangana State Medico Parents Association president M Satyanarayana Chary accused private institutions of imposing an undue financial burden on students and their families, jeopardising the aspirations of those pursuing medical education.
He alleged that despite the MBBS course being of four and a half years’ duration, several private colleges are collecting fees for five full years by adding an extra six months. This, he said, results in an additional burden of Rs 6 lakh for B-category students and up to Rs 12 lakh for those in C-category seats, with illegal collections exceeding Rs 200 crore annually.
The association also pointed to discrepancies in fee structures. While the prescribed university fee for A-category seats is about Rs 60,000, colleges are allegedly charging between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.6 lakh under various heads.
Parents further raised concerns over counselling procedures, alleging that demand drafts submitted during initial rounds are not properly refunded when students shift to other colleges, forcing families to arrange additional funds.
Despite submitting complaints to the Fee Regulatory Committee, the association alleged that no concrete action has been taken so far.
The association demanded immediate steps to curb fee exploitation in B and C-category seats, a thorough enquiry into the collection of five years’ fees for a 4.5-year MBBS course, and strict action against violators. It also called for collection of university fees directly through demand drafts in favour of the university, transparent declaration of annual fee structures in allotment orders, and implementation of a clear and transparent fee policy to protect students’ rights.