Medical colleges admitting more than prescribed seats to face 1-yr ban: MCI

New Delhi: Cracking the whip on errant colleges for admitting students more than the prescribed seats in MBBS courses, the Medical Council India (MCI) has decided to debar all such medical colleges from admitting students for a year.

The decision in this regards has been taken by the MCI on the suggestions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), which has been initiated to bring transparency in the admission process in medical colleges.

According to a senior government official, all the medical colleges have to admit students as per their prescribed capacity of seats for undergraduate and post-graduate courses which is being fixed by the MCI after examining each medical college every year.

"Admitting students for more than the allowed seats either in MBBS or PG courses is a gross violation of rules and all such medical colleges must face action for it. The objective behind imposing a one-year admission restriction is to bring transparency in the medical education," the MCI official said, adding that no medical college is allowed to give any extra admission.

The action has been necessitated following the relentless behaviour of some of the medical colleges which admit students more than the fixed seats and when it comes into the notice of the MCI, the apex body of medical education cancels all such 'illegal' admissions. This year alone, the MCI has cancelled more than 300 admissions of different colleges.

As per the existing norms of Medical Council of India Regulations, 1997, there is no provision to penalise medical colleges found guilty in admitting more students than the fixed seats. The MCI acted on the suggestion of the Health Ministry to bring in regulation to put a check on errant medical colleges.

The Health Ministry has accepted the new changes adopted by the MCI in the recently held executive committee meeting of the MCI, which would be added to the regulations of the MCI.