Karnataka: Junior doctors, NEET candidates, parents protest on deprivation of domicile preference

Bengaluru: The Freedom Park saw a huge protest gathering consisting of junior doctors, NEET aspirants and their parents, and medicos assemble to raise their voices against students with domicile loosing their rights to over a 1000 MBBS seats, to out station students, in private colleges of the state.

The Karnataka Medical Students and Youth Doctors' Association (KMSYDA) several NEET candidates and their parents were there from 10 am to late noon with the aim to spread awareness about medical students in Karnataka loosing their domicile right to acquire a seat in their own home town.

Dr Bharath Kumar, President, KMSYDA, said: "Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has called for application to MBBS/BDS course from across the country from candidates who have qualified National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET). This will result in students from Karnataka losing more than 1,000 MBBS/BDS seats to students from other states."

"When these out-stationed patients become eligible for post graduate course (MD/MS/ DM/Mch), the local students will once again lose seats for post graduate course to them and this has already begun, leaving behind several local medical students deprived of their rights. Government should immediately look into this matter and come out with a solution," he added.

When states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh can insist on native students applying for MBBS/BDS course. Why not Karnataka? Claimed the protestors.

A NEET aspirant's father joining the protest, said: "Kannadigas losing medical seats to out-stationed students would soon create dearth of doctors in the state and people of this state would have to bear with the crisis."

"Also, as non-Kannadiga students can already apply for seats in all India quota, management quota and NRI quota, we request KEA and the state government to allocate all MBBS seats in the state only for native students of Karnataka," he told the TOI.