Age no more a bar for 48-yr-old Nadia farmer's doctor dream

Following the government's order on January 23 to abolish the upper age limit for candidates securing medical admission at the undergraduate level, the dream of 48-year-old Pradip Haldar hailing from Nadia will finally see fruition.

In 2016, Millennium Post had reported about Halder who had secured 51st rank in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test but was denied admission at the centre owned institutions because the Central Broad of Secondary Examinations (CBSE) had set the upper age limit to 25 years to secure admission.

But, this rule of CBSE was in complete contrast to that of Medical Council of India (MCI) which stated that anyone above 17 years of age is considered eligible for admission provided the candidate has cleared the entrance examinations.

Haldar said that he will appeal to the Union Health Minister to seal his seat in any of the Centre owned colleges, this year.

"After securing a high rank in NEET last year, I would like to appeal to the Union Health minister to allow me to pursue the course this year," he said.

Since childhood, Halder a resident of Pratapur village in Nadia has been aspiring to become doctor. After witnessing many deaths in his own village due to lack of medical facilities, he said, "I always wanted to become a doctor to help the villagers."

But, due to financial constraints, he was unable to study further. It seems that these odds did not dampen the indomitable spirit of the man who tasted half the success after securing the 51st rank in NEET.

Survived by three children, Halder followed his family business, farming but continued to pursue his medical studies to give his dream the desired shape. But, he gives the credit for his uphill battle to a city based doctor, Dr AK Maity who was responsible for training him.