Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

GO lowers role of entrance test in PG medical admissions

Thiruvananthapuram: Confusion reigned at the counselling and interview for PG medical admissions to the Health Service quota which was held on Tuesday, with the Director of Medical Education (DME) releasing a government order (GO), which effectively says that the medical PG entrance examination is a barrier for candidates to qualify for PG courses and that the entrance exam should be only one of the criteria for selection.

The government had earlier issued orders that due to the non-availability of qualified candidates, nine seats in the PG quota for candidates from the Medical Education Service would be carried over to the quota for candidates from the Health Service.

All candidates who had appeared on Tuesday for admission to the PG seats in the Health Service quota gave a joint memorandum to the DME today that the government’s decision to withhold 12 seats and release just nine seats, which had fallen vacant in the Medical Education service quota, was unfair to the candidates from Health Service who had qualified with 50 per cent marks in the PG entrance exam.

There are 60 candidates from the Health Service quota who had qualified for PG admissions, while the number of seats in their quota is only 47. It has been clearly mentioned in the prospectus that the seats in various quota for PG admissions are inter-transferable, provided there is a shortage of qualified candidates. When such is the case, if the 21 seats that had fallen vacant in the Medical Education Service had been carried over, all 60 candidates from Health Service would have rightfully got admission for PG courses.

On Tuesday, however, it was announced that the government had decided to withhold all 21 seats that had fallen vacant due to the non-availability of qualified candidates from the Medical Education Service.

The GO, released by the DME, is dated April 7 and it says that though 50 per cent marks in the entrance exam is mandatory for eligibility for admission to medical PG courses, ‘the eligibility criteria … is subject to change as per the decision of the government.’

‘The government has examined the matter regarding unavailability of Service candidates for the seats earmarked to them, which has been caused solely due to the barrier of qualifying in the entrance examination.

Entrance examination is only a criterion for selection to PG courses and it is noted that these candidates have secured more than 50 per cent marks in the qualifying (MBBS) exam’ the GO said.

The GO is a clear violation of the prospectus for admission to Medical PG admission 2008 as well as a violation of the Supreme Court and Medical Council of India’s guidelines regarding the selection of meritorious candidates alone for medical PG admissions, some of the candidates said.

Candidates who appeared for the counselling today pointed out that the government might as well not have conducted the PG entrance examination if 50 per cent marks in the MBBS exam was qualification enough for admission to PG courses.

With the government deciding to block 21 seats, several qualified candidates could not get admission to courses of their choice and had to opt to be in the waiting list.

The admission to these 21 seats would have to be decided by law now as all candidates who were qualified under the Service quota have approached the High Court.

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