NEET PG 2018: Doctors demand National Level Mop-up counselling

New Delhi: Raising the issue of Post Graduate seats going vacant in the various medical colleges in various discipline across the country, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has written a letter to the Union Health Minister, demanding a mop-up counselling session at the national level

In the letter to Minister, while welcoming the initiatives of the government increase the PG seats in various medical colleges, the resident doctors have pointed out the issues to the vacant PG seats in medical colleges every year following NEET PG counselling.

FORDA informed that after all the counselling rounds for admission at National Level are over, the vacant seats are transferred to the states, in-service candidates, or those who have done their MBBS from state-run medical colleges are eligible to opt the same. Even after that, over the years, it has been observed that some seats still remain vacant in the state medical colleges due to the unwillingness of the state candidates.

The organisation pointed out that there are many eligible and willing candidates at the national level to take up these vacant seats. It is particularly not possible on their part to opt for the same. Residents working in the various are already overburdened due to the increasing patient load. The vacant seats directly lead to further increase in the in the workload of residents.

As an effective solution to this issue , FORDA proposed that there can be open to mop-up counselling session at the national level. Through mop-up counselling, vacant seats be filled up by the eligible and willing candidates.

Another issue highlighted was that the non-uniformity of bond money or bond year in various states as the Central Government has left it to the states to decide the same. High bond money and longer duration of bond in many states is the reason of unwillingness o state candidates of state candidates to opt for PG seats. A uniform bond in all the states might also help in addressing the above-mentioned issues.

"Private medical colleges charge exorbitant fees for admission to PG seats depending on the discipline. A commendable step was taken last year by the Government of Uttar Pradesh by capping the fee charged by private colleges. We also hope that the same could be done at the National level too y the Central Government. This will also help in the getting the vacant seats filled." Dr Vivek Chouksey told Medical Dialogues