Notice to Health ministry, MCI on plea to declare Dr MGR Medical University courses illegal

The petition is filed by the Doctors' Welfare Association of Tamil Nadu. The petitioner has submitted that the university is offering or proposing various courses without the Centre's prior permission.

The petitioners alleged that the university is offering various post-graduate degree, diploma courses and fellowship programmes without the prior permission of the Centre and the recognition of qualification by the MCI as per section 11 of the Medical Council of India Act-1956, reports PTI.

In particular, the petitioners demanded that court to prevent the university from offering PG diploma in palliative medicine, MD family medicine course through distance education, one-year fellowship in medical sciences such as HIV medicine, occupational health, clinical immunology, palliative medicine and sexual medicine, reports the

Hindu.

Besides this, the Secretary of the association K. Srinivasan, further alleged some other courses as illegal including two-year courses in medical genetics, critical care medicine, clinical diabetology, ultrasound (obstetrics and gynaecology) or any other PG degree, diploma, certificate or fellowship in medical sciences course for which MBBS degree was the eligibility for admission.

The university conducting or proposing to conduct such courses, either by itself or through colleges affiliated to it or through the distance mode, is illegal, the petitioner association has submitted, seeking a direction to declare such courses invalid.

It has also sought an interim direction to restrain the university from offering such courses.