Stop individual counselling of medical students, Centre to MCI

The Centre has instructed the Medical Council of India (MCI) to stop individual counseling of medical students by the private hospitals throughout the country.

It has asked the highest regulating body to fill up the undergraduate medical seats in the private medical colleges through central counseling that would be conducted by the respective state governments on the basis of the merit list prepared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Earlier, the private medical colleges across the country used to fill up the private medical seats through the counseling conducted by the private medical colleges on their own. Most of these medical colleges used to hold their own examinations to admit candidates in those private medical seats.

It may be mentioned here that there were allegations of irregularities and nepotism in the admission of candidates in the private medical seats. It is often alleged that the private medical colleges take huge capitation fees from the candidates.

In Bengal, for filling up the government-owned seats, private medical colleges used to admit candidates on the basis of the recommendation by the state government but for their own seats the private medical colleges in the state used to conduct their own examination.

The state government hardly had any control over the admission of candidates in the private medical seats.

But from this year, the rule is going to change as the Centre has asked the MCI to issue clear instructions to the private medical colleges to admit candidates in private seats on the basis of the central counseling carried out by the respective state governments.

It may be mentioned that from this year all the admissions would be done on the basis of the NEET which would be conducted by the CBSE.

It was learnt that various private medical colleges may pursue legal suit challenging the decision of the Centre as the claimed that they have the right to conduct their examination filling up the medical seats.

The Universities, Deemed Universities, Private & Minority Medical Colleges have claimed their right to prepare their own merit list as per IMC amendment Act, 2016.

It may be pointed out that CMC Vellore has already announced their admission tests among the candidates who will qualify the NEET. Many other universities and private medical colleges have decided not to join the central counselling and will make their own merit list.

Till last year, all the states used to conduct their own entrance examination but from this year all the medical colleges in the country be it government or private has to admit candidates on the basis of the merit list prepared by the CBSE on the basis of the NEET.