Karnataka PG Medical Aspirants Demand 100 percent Domicile Reservation

Bengaluru: Concerned with the low number of seats available for them in the private medical colleges in the state, the Karnataka-based PG medical aspirants have now demanded a 100 per cent domicile reservation.

Medical Dialogues had reported over a week ago, the state medical education department had decided to reserve 50 % seats in Post-Graduate (PG) medical courses for students from Karnataka under the Open Category at state’s private medical colleges from the academic year 2019-20. However, now the brochure of Karnataka NEET PG applications being out, the state-based MBBS doctors are concerned with the number of seats allotted for them at these self-financing medical institutes.

According to a recent report by TOI, Karnataka Medical Students' and Youth Doctors' Association has put forth a demand for 100% reservation.

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At present, 42% seats are of private medical colleges, termed as Open category and now of that 42 %, 50% seats will be reserved for students from Karnataka. According to the seat matrix of Karnataka PG medical admission process, 33% goes to the government, 42% for private colleges and 15% NRI and 10% institutional and in-service quota.

PG Medical aspirants from the state have been fighting for domicile quota for a few years urging the state government to stop allowing students from outside Karnataka under the Open Category. They justifiably contended that they can’t apply to other state medical colleges then why Karnataka is offering such chunky quota to PG aspirants from other states.

Under the open category, even candidates from other states can apply and appear for counselling, which comes to around 1,000 seats every year. However, PG medical aspirants from the state contend that they are not allowed to take part in the counselling at any other states

The students had approached the state HC in 2017-18 but their plea was quashed by the court which stated that the admission process had already begun. Thereafter, the PG aspirants had begun urging the government on this domicile reservation plea before the notification for admission was issued.

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Now, considering the demand of these aggrieved students, the department brought amendments to the PG CET medical admission rules where 50% reservation will be given for students from Karnataka under Open Category.

A senior official from the Ministry had stated, “This was a long-pending demand of PG medical aspirants. They have maintained that students from other states get a big chunk of the seats. So we thought we should reserve 50 per cent seats for students from Karnataka in the Open Category.”

Read Also: Karnataka PG Medical Aspirants to get 50 Percent Domicile Reservation

However, now the PG medicos are demanding for a total 100 percent domicile reservation at private medical institutes in the state.

"Non-Karnataka candidates who take up PG medical seats through all-India category hardly work in Karnataka and it's not of much help for people of the state when they take the seats. The government should ideally reserve all the seats in the open category for Karnataka students. After our appeals, 50% of those seats have been reserved for the state students, but we need 100% reservation, which is maintained in most states," Dr Bharat Kumar, President of the association told TOI.

In contrast, Jawaid Akhtar, principal secretary, medical education department, said, "Reservation already exists for Karnataka students."