HYDERABAD: Technical hitches, lack of professionals to handle counselling and financial burden are the reasons for NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) to approach the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) requesting it to conduct MBBS counselling.

The university, which switched over to centralised counselling last year, had faced several technical problems and counselling had to be stopped several times, much to the chagrin of students.

"Perhaps, that has led the university to use the experience of counselling officers of engineering done by the APSCHE," says an officer.

Counselling officers of engineering are not only experienced to handle the complexity of admissions but also have the infrastructure.

Financial burden

Another reason is said to the financial burden incurred by the health university.

An official says that the university spends Rs. 50 per student for counselling while the APSCHE spends less than Rs. 40. "They will save some money on this account, apart from being rid off the tensions related to admission if the APSCHE decides to take over the counselling," says an official.

However, the worry of APSCHE is the clash of dates, as engineering counselling takes a long time given the permutations and combinations of reservations and regional allotments. Medical counselling cannot be dragged long because the admissions have to be completed within the time stipulated by the Medical Council of India or else the admissions would be nullified.

But officials are confident of doing both the admissions simultaneously as new counselling centres are being set up in all the conventional universities and the JNTU, apart from the existing infrastructure.

"These counselling centres will have all the necessary infrastructure with modern facilities," says APSCHE Secretary M.D. Christopher.

The council has sanctioned Rs. 2.5 crores for these centres. BSNL will provide the leased lines while APTS will supply the electronics equipment and Rs. 95 lakhs have already been given to it. These centres will, however, be used for ICET counselling for admissions to MBA and MCA courses.

Meanwhile, APSCHE has called for a meeting of officials, including NTRUHS Vice-Chancellor, to discuss the issue on Saturday.

P. Subba Reddy of Osmania University, the man behind the software of engineering counselling, will also attend as MBBS counselling needs a different software.

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