Panel to probe medical colleges charging extra fee from students

Kathmandu, March 29

The Education and Health Committee of the Parliament has formed a nine-member sub-committee to investigate medical colleges’ operation standards and fee structures.

Suresh Kumar Rai will lead a nine-member sub-panel of the parliamentary Education and Health Committee to investigate on medical colleges’ operation standard and fees.

According to the committee’s Chair Jay Puri Gharti, the sub-committee will be led by lawmaker Suresh Kumar Rai. Lawmakers Khaga Raj Adhikari, Yogesh Bhattarai, Chitra Lekha  Yadav, Umesh Shrestha, Santa Kumar Tharu, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Man  Kumari GC and Ekbal Miya are members of the panel.

The sub-committee is mandated to investigate medical colleges accused of charging extra fee from students and submit its report within a month. There are 21 medical colleges in the country.

Firstly, the sub-committee will investigate charges against Gandaki Medical College Teaching Hospital and Research Centre, Pokhara. A team of Nepal Medical Council had found that the college was charging extra fee from MBBS students. The NMC had formed a probe committee after receiving complaints from students that the college was charging them extra fees.

As per the government set fee structure, colleges in the Kathmandu valley cannot charge more than Rs 38.5 lakh from students, while colleges outside the Kathmandu valley cannot take more than Rs 42 lakh.

The probe committee, which submitted its report to Nepal Medical College on February 27, stated that the college was found charging extra fee from students in the name of annual fee, library, transportation and field visit. On March 22, the Ministry of Education had directed those colleges to return extra fee charged from students.

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