It is impractical to provide state-of-the-art facilities to students by collecting a low fee for 50% of seats in private medical colleges, the Madras High Court was informed by a group of deemed universities and self-financing medical colleges in Tamil Nadu.

The institutions were insisting that the 50% of seats in the colleges be on par with the fee which is collected by government medical colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu. Regarding the same, a submission was made by the institutions challenging the February 3 office memorandum issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC).

Recording the submission, the first bench of Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice N Mala adjourned the hearing to August 16.

As per the petitioners, via the memorandum, they have been informed that the NMC has decided that the fee of the 50% seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities should be on a par with the fee in the government medical colleges of that particular state or union territory (UT).

The benefit of this fee structure will first be made available for those students who have availed government quota seats but limited to the extent of 50% of total sanctioned strength, they said.