The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed two private medical and dental colleges to address students’ claims for adjustment or refund of excess tuition fees within 30 working days from October 30, upholding the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council’s (PM&DC) authority to regulate fees charged by private institutions.
In a detailed judgment that emerged on Saturday, Justice Khalid Ishaq dismissed three petitions filed by private medical institutions challenging the regulator’s fee restrictions. The court simultaneously allowed 12 related petitions submitted by students and their guardians seeking enforcement of the prescribed tuition limits.
The ruling requires the institutions to implement the PM&DC’s fee ceilings in accordance with the council’s notifications and the court’s findings.
Justice Ishaq held that private medical and dental colleges do not possess an unrestricted right to determine their tuition fees and must remain accountable to the regulatory framework governing medical education.
The court emphasised that medical colleges cannot function solely as commercial enterprises, given their responsibilities towards society and the direct relationship between medical education, public health and human life.
The judgment affirmed that the PM&DC has the legal authority to examine institutions’ proposed fee structures, assess their financial justifications and intervene where charges are excessive or unjustified.
Rejecting the colleges’ argument that the PM&DC Act 2022 does not authorise the council to regulate tuition fees, the court ruled that Sections 9 and 20 must be interpreted together, alongside the relevant regulatory provisions under Section 47.
Justice Ishaq observed that Section 20(8), which requires private medical and dental colleges to submit financial statements, proposed fees and supporting justifications, cannot be reduced to a routine administrative formality.
The court reasoned that requiring institutions to submit financial information would serve little purpose if the regulator lacked the authority to scrutinise or challenge unjustified charges.
It further clarified that the requirement under Section 20(7) for colleges to publicly disclose their tuition fees does not exempt those charges from regulatory examination.
Accordingly, the PM&DC may review proposed fee structures and, where justified, approve, modify or reject them to protect students from excessive financial burdens and profiteering.
The decision reinforces regulatory oversight of private medical education while providing relief to students and families seeking compliance with officially prescribed tuition limits.