Hyderabad: The great sale of medical seats has begun even before Eamcet results are announced. In fact, inside sources say that 98 per cent of the management quota seats in medical colleges have already been filled, their going rate this year being anywhere between Rs 37-45 lakh.
Seats for post-graduation, the entrance exam for which was held recently, are going at a huge premium. Investigations by TOI reveal that the price tag on each seat is anywhere between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 1.3 crore, depending on the speciality. Cardiology and radiology top the list.
Sources in medical colleges say the donation for MBBS seats has shot by 15-20 per cent this year with the recession over and parents determined to fulfil the doctor dreams of their children.
A neat 50 per cent of the total medical seats in the 23 medical colleges of Andhra Pradesh is earmarked as management quota seats. As per the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms, the management quota seats should be filled only after the counselling for free (merit) seats is over. Also, as per the MCI, the price tag on paid seats should be Rs 5.5 lakh, which colleges ensure remains only on paper.
“Everything is happening unofficially. On a blank paper, bills are handed over to the parties by college managements,” says an assistant professor at a popular medical college in the state.
Fuelling the sale is the skewed student-seat ratio. If for MBBS there are 70,000 students vying for 4,000 seats, for around 1,200 PG seats over 11,000 students appeared for the entrance test held in March this year.
College sources say that in PG (dermatology) category, a seat was sold at Rs 85-95 lakh as against last year’s Rs 60-70 lakh. Orthopaedic seats were each sold for over Rs 1 crore, while a gynaecology seat fetched Rs 60 lakh. General medicine seats fetched Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore each, depending on the institution. Prices of radiology seats are going through the roof with diagnostics becoming a lucrative business model.
Sai Chand, a senior consultant who brokers deals between students and medical colleges, said that many colleges open “bookings” as early as December and at times close before February. “By the time the Eamcet results are out, hardly one to two per cent of the seats are left,” he said. Colleges give “consultants” like Sai Chand, who act as brokers for MBBS as well as PG seats, a cut of 5-10 per cent.
Admissions to half the total number of medical seats under the management quota has healthcare experts worried. A senior professor from a government medical college states, “Tomorrow, public health will be at stake. Let’s not create businessmen out of these medical colleges. Even if they are collecting such huge donations, they should at least give quality education.” He added that as against the faculty listed on the rolls of these colleges, just one-tenth the strength actually exists.
When asked if the government has put in place a system to curb collection of capitation fees, Dr T Ravi Raju, director of medical education, says, “If somebody complains, we can take action. So far, no complaints have come to our notice.”