Punjab finally announces joint counselling for PG medical courses

Patiala: The face of medical admissions is going to change with Punjab government finally announcing joint counselling for admissions to its postgraduate (PG) medical courses as per the announcement of the Central Government.

The Department of Medical Education and Research's web portal on Monday clarified that Faridkot-based Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) will hold admission counselling for all its government and private medical and dental institutes on the basis of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET)-PG merit.

Private colleges incorporated under the Deemed University Act are also to come in the purview of joint counselling, announced the notice, while giving a reference of the centre’s circular dated December 5, that heeds the state to go in for Joint Counselling.

Haryana has taken a lead by already going in for Joint counselling for its private and government medical and dental institutes on the basis of NEET-PG merit.

Monday’s web portal announcement by the Medical Department of Punjab implies that the two deemed private universities - Amritsar-based Sri Guru Ravi Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda and private colleges like the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, are also to be part of this common counselling to be held. This announcement takes away their authority to hold separate counselling for the forthcoming PG admissions, the process for which shall commence in April.

Separate counselling was held by all the above during the last session’s MBBS and BDS admissions, despite the Centre’s call for combined admission.

“With this notification, no private institute, including those granted status of deemed university, will be allowed to hold separate admissions,” said K Siva Prasad, Secretary, Medical Education.

Students have welcomed the state government’s decision as it will ease the path of students during the course of admissions, as they will not have to apply to multiple colleges and face harassment by private colleges, who come up with their own rules, at the time of counselling.

President of the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, Dr Rajinder Sharma, said the move would end “underhand” dealings in private medical colleges at the time of allotment of seats and bring more transparency in medical admissions.

“We also want the state to regularize fee structure in private institutes so that medical education comes within the reach of ordinary citizens,” he told HT.