Mumbai: Maharashtra govt may soon allow private universities, which currently offer higher and technical education, to offer medical education courses as well. At present, private medical colleges in the state are affiliated with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and are regulated by statutory bodies for fees and admissions.The new proposal will also allow managements of private universities that already have medical colleges to bring them under their umbrella, and thus get more autonomy. While in the initial years, those with existing infrastructure will be allowed to offer health science courses, in future, it may be extended to new colleges, under private universities, significantly increasing the intake capacity in these sought-after courses. An example of such a private university will be the Somaiya Group in Mumbai that runs Somaiya Vidyavihar University, a private entity, and also manages health science colleges that are currently not part of the varsity.The inclusion of medical education will require an amendment in the Maharashtra Private Universities Act 2023. A proposal will be jointly moved in the winter session of the state assembly in Dec. Five to six educational groups have already expressed interest.On Wednesday, CM Devendra Fadnavis, who presided over the meeting of the Maharashtra State Commission for Higher Education and Development (MAHED), directed the medical education department to submit a proposal to the higher and technical education department to start medical courses in select private universities that have A grade in NAAC.A govt official said that apart from the NAAC requirement, private universities should also have 20 years of experience in education and existing infrastructure to offer medical education. The National Medical Commission (NMC) mandates having a hospital with either 300 or 500 beds to start a medical college. The decision, therefore, implies that private universities which already have a hospital and a medical college under the same management are likely to get the permission in the initial years. A few other states already have this policy in place.A govt representative said these universities, though will come under the NMC’s regulations, will be allowed to design their own syllabus and conduct exams. “Medical aspirants are forced to go to other countries such as Ukraine, which are in the midst of conflict, and also pay more. These private universities will help in increasing our capacity,” he said, adding that the medical education department was earlier not allowing such proposals.A parent representative, however, pointed out that private varsities will be allowed to fix their own fees and could prove unaffordable for many.In another development, the perspective plan for the 2026-27 academic year was passed in the MAHED meeting. While 566 new locations were proposed for colleges, 359 were approved; none of these are under Mumbai University’s jurisdiction. In the five-year plan, starting 2024, 1,854 locations were identified for new colleges.Fadnavis also set up a committee at the university level to prepare a plan for granting permissions to unaided social work colleges. A govt official said since 2004, no new social work colleges have got permission. “With increasing corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, there is a growing demand for skilled manpower in the social sector. A perspective plan, therefore, has to be prepared to address this requirement,” said the official.To ensure students pursuing higher education receive scholarships on time, the welfare departments should make provisions for it in each financial year and plan a time-bound distribution system, like the one followed for salaries, said Fadnavis.
