Govt. should expedite amendment in Private Health Science: Harpal Cheema

Chandigarh, February 1: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has slammed the Captain Amarinder Singh government for its resorting to delay tactics on the proposed amendment to the Punjab Private Health Sciences Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission, Fixation of Fee and Making of Reservation) Act, 2006.

In a statement issued from the party headquarters in Chandigarh, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Cheema said that the government had given a leeway to the private players to fleece students by not bringing about the desired amendments in the private Health Services and Health Education Institutes Act 2006.

The inordinate delay in bringing about the amendment had left those eyeing careers in medicines, who were being forced to pay hefty fees in privately medical colleges and universities, Cheema said. Cheema alleged that even as the medical and research department had prepared a draft proposal seeking amendment, which, he said was forwarded to the government for further necessary action but nothing tangible had come out of the narrative.

Had the government taken up the issue on the issue, lakhs of students eyeing careers in medicines would have been benefitted. He alleged that the MBBS aspirants were being fleeced by private medical colleges and universities in the state and they would continue to pay through their noses in the coming session as well. He lamented that the government was sitting pretty on the draft Act aiming at regulating the fee structure by the institutions, he said.

Cheema demanded that the government should convene a special meeting of the cabinet and give a nod to the draft proposal pending for a pretty long time now so that it could be tabled in the coming budget session thereby putting a cap on the private medical colleges and universities to regulate the fee structure.