Medical education in Andhra Pradesh will become too expensive if the government concedes the demands of the private college managements. The Association of AP Private Medical Colleges has asked the government to fix 50 per cent of the total medical seats in the private sector as management quota with a fee structure of Rs 5 lakh per annum.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Association president Puvvada Ajay Kumar said discussions were going on with the government to finalise the fee structure and the management quota. Presently, there is a three-tier annual fee structure in private colleges – free seats Rs 15,000, payment seat Rs 90,000 and NRI seat $10,000 (around Rs 5 lakh). While 50 per cent of the free seats and 35 per cent of payment seats are being filled through the EAMCET by its convenor, the last category is left to the managements (15 per cent).

The management's argument for a fee revision is based on the Supreme Court verdict. The Supreme Court had directed that 75 per cent seats should be given to the managements with the right of admission and fee fixation. The remaining 25 per cent will be left with the government.

Explaining the reasons for the fee hike, Ajay Kumar said as per the A F Ferguson & Co study in 1994, the expenditure incurred by the colleges was Rs 3.18 lakh per student every year. The study was conducted as per the direction of the Medical Council of India and the Centre in accordance with the judgement of the Supreme Court. Even the state government had conducted a study in 2001and found that the cost of imparting medical education for the government per annum was Rs 3.51 lakh. In another study, it was arrived at a figure ranging from Rs 3.4 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, he said.

The Association president said the government should sympathetically understand the gravity of the problem as the budget for each private medical college was Rs 16 crore per annum. To reduce the burden on the managements and to provide good infrastructure, it was necessary for the government to implement the Supreme Court verdict, he said.

The state government and representatives of the managements had two rounds of talks this month to fix the managements quota and the fee structure. A decision on the exact increase in the fee structure will be known by this month-end.

To evolve a consensus on the issue, the government has set up an 8-member committee headed by the Director of Medical Education, Dr Srinath. The panel comprises four officials and four representatives from the private medical colleges.

The management representatives have climbed down from their original stand of 75 per cent seats quota and a fee structure of Rs 5 lakh per annum to 50 per cent seats quota and fee of Rs 2.30 lakh for free seats and Rs 5 lakh for the remaining seats at their discretion. This leaves only two categories of seats instead of the existing three.

In the initial talks, the government is reported to have agreed to Rs 75,000 from the present Rs 15,000 as fee for free seats with 75 per cent quota for EAMCET convenor and Rs 4 lakh for the remaining seats. This means the management will have 25 per cent quota from the existing 15 per cent.