Common counselling at state-level for admission in medical courses: Health ministry

New Delhi: Common counselling will be provided at the state-level for admission in medical courses, a move aimed at bringing transparency and curbing the practice of capitation fee charged by private colleges, the health ministry said.

As per amendments made in Medical Council of India regulations, the designated authority will conduct common counselling for all medical education institutions established either by central or state government, university, deemed university, trust, society, company, minority Institutions or the corporation.

“In a landmark decision, following the introduction of single medical entrance exam in the country, the Health Ministry has now made provision for common counselling at the state-level for admission to medical courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels,” an official statement said.

With this provision, students would not have to apply to multiple agencies for admission in the same state. “The move would bring in transparency in the admission process and curb the practice of capitation fee charged by private colleges. Further, the students would not have to apply to multiple agencies for admission in the same state,” it said.

At the instance of the ministry, UGC had directed all deemed universities to also be part of the common counselling for admission in common courses organised either by state or central government or through its agencies based on the marks obtained in NEET, the ministry said.

The ministry said the advisory for common counselling at the state level was repeated in December last year for admission to PG courses for the session 2017-18.

“The advisories were issued since counselling was not covered under any regulations and the entire admission process had evolved as an administrative mechanism,” the ministry said.

“But with the amendment notifications in Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 1997 and the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000, enabling legal provisions have been made for common counselling,” it said.

The ministry clarified that the counselling for all-India quota seats at undergraduate and postgraduate level will continue to be conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services under the ministry.