Medicos agree to pay Rs 2.20 lakh fee

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 31 

A day after the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFHUS) withheld the result of 75 MBBS students, over annual fee, the affected doctors, along with their family members, today knocked the door of Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra. 

Donning lab coats, the medicos met the minister and held parleys at his residence here. After an hour of deliberations between the doctors and the minister, the students agreed to pay Rs 2.20 lakh instead of Rs 3.20 lakh as claimed by the BFHUS.

On Friday, the BHFUS had withheld the result of final prof owing to the non-payment of annual fee. The affected students, presently studying at government medical colleges at Amritsar, Patiala, and Faridkot, are of the 2014-15 batch of Chintpurni Medical College, which was shut following irregularities.

The students were insisting on paying Rs 28,300 as applicable to the government quota seats, while the authorities had asked to deposit Rs 3.20 lakh by April 15.

The Health Minister said an understanding had already reached between the students and the BFHUS in 2017, whereby the students had given an undertaking of paying their annual fee as per a government quota seat in the private medical institute which was Rs 2.20 lakh.

“I have cross-checked with my health officials, including the Additional Health Secretary and BHFUS Vice-Chancellor, who confirmed the said understanding over fee,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, the parents were of the view that since the matter was subjudice in the court, the university should not overrule the court orders.

The students had moved the court in February this year after the university had withheld their roll numbers over fee. On February 21, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had already directed the university to take only Rs 28,300 as applicable to the government college annual fee.

Now, the medicos were concerned about delay in their internship due to the fees episode which was scheduled to kick off from April 1. The doctors explained that if the mandated internship failed to start from Monday, it would not be completed by March 31, which might affect their chances to appear for the next year’s PG entrance exam.

Braham said he had directed the Health Secretary and the VC to declare their result and start their internship from April 1 only. “I assure that their internship will not be affected due to the whole episode.”