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Education Plus
A turbulent period for medical students
RAMYA KANNAN
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The MBBS students in Tamil Nadu had to tackle various sensitive issues in 2007.
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Photo: M. Periasamy
Making a point: Medical students on strike in the city in November.
For medical education in Tamil Nadu, 2007 was a rather turbulent period. What with the confusion following scrapping examinations, selection process, litigation that followed selection, protest by MBBS students over rural postings and issues regarding recognition for medical colleges, there was action in the field of medical education right through 2007.
With the government deciding to forgo the regular entrance exam last year, the Selection Committee had to zero in on another method of evaluating the performance of the student and preparing the merit list. The authorities decided to compute the total marks (out of 12th standard results) in Biology with a base of 100. The totals secured in Physics and Chemistry were added together and divided by 4, and thereby, reduced to base of 100 marks. The total the student has scored is therefore computed as marks out of 200.
The merit list was prepared after duly considering the marks (incorporating the re-evaluation/re-totalled marks) and checking eligibility, according to the Selection Committee officials. The other criteria for selection were marks in optional subjects, age of candidate and random number allotted. A total of 12,954 applications were received by the Selection Committee under the general category and 350 under special categories for 1398 seats in government colleges and 154 seats allotted as government quota in the private medical colleges.
As things turned out, the admission process turned out to be riddled with litigations. After students were selected based on the computation derived by the selection committee and handed their allotment letters, it was found that a few of them had not passed out the same year, but were students who had passed out years ago and, had meanwhile taken up other professional courses.
Petitions to the High Court pleaded that students should not be admitted into an MBBS seat if they had been already selected for some professional course. The High Court said students who had completed the professional course could be admitted. However, the Supreme Court granted an interim stay on the High Court order following which students were admitted without discrimination on the grounds of age or other professional courses taken up.
Meanwhile confusion prevailed over the denial of recognition for three medical colleges in Vellore, Theni and Kanyakumari. This was sorted out with the intervention of the then state Health Minister KKSSR Ramachandran and the Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. When students did get to college, not soon after admission, the issue of rural postings for doctors flared up and protested. After two weeks of protests, the students were placated by assurances from the Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi and Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss that action would be taken based on the recommendations of the Sambasiva Rao Committee report.
The Tamil Nadu Dr.MGR Medical University took a bold step in 2007, by agreeing to facilitate admissions to Russian Medical Colleges. Considering the large number of students applying for MBBS courses in Russian Universities and reports of many being duped coming in, the varsity decided to take the bull by its horns, its Vice Chancellor Meer Mustafa Hussain said. Educationist Jaiprakash Gandhi who coaches students to handle professional examinations every year points out that the craze for medical seats has come down substantially. However, he adds that among those applying, competition remains intense, with cut off marks riding neck to neck.
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