Leader of the Opposition Eknath Khadse once again created a sensation in the Legislative Assembly by producing a CD disclosing how donations are asked for and taken at private medical colleges. The BJP leader demanded that the medical education department take measures to stop the rampant corruption in MBBS, BDS and post-graduate courses so that students from middle class families can also get medical education.
Speaking on the budgetary provisions for medical education, Mr Khadse produced the CD in which a parent has allegedly collected, with the help of a spy camera, evidence of authorities at private medical colleges demanding money as “donations” for admission to medical colleges. The Leader said the daughter of the parent was being denied admission for three years, despite her being a meritorious student. Admission fixing, seat fixing are common features at the deemed universities, where every year, more than `300 crores are collected as “donations”. The rates vary according to the course — anything between `20 to `25 crores for MMBS `7-10 lakh for BDS and `50-75 lakh for PG, Mr Khadse claimed.
The CD contained video footage, with sound, of demands of money at three (DY Patil, MGM and Terna) medical colleges, at one place even by the college registrar. Mr Khadse alleged that touts, professors, college managements and everyone else is doing their bit in the corrupt practice. “A student doctor who has to pay `1 crore till he becomes a PG, medicine, is bound to have the tendency to charge more and extort money from patients to recover the expenses of studies. I request the minister not to pass the buck saying what happens at deemed universities does not come under the state’s purview, and do something,” Mr Khadse said.