Specify Minimum Criteria of Class 12th marks for those who go for MBBS Abroad: HC tells MCI

Chennai: Through its recent order, the Madras High Court has asked the Medical Council of India (MCI) to clarify minimum criteria for the candidates applying for medical courses at foreign medical institutions.

Primarily, the court has directed the MCI to explain the minimum marks criteria that had been prescribed by it for issuing eligibility certificates to Indian students wanting to join medical courses in foreign colleges.

The directive is pursuant to a writ petition which the court was hearing-filed by a youth, who had obtained a medical degree from a university in West Indies. He approached the court seeking direction to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council to register his name in order that he could undergo Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) in any of the approved medical college hospitals in the State.

After a thorough perusal of the petitioner's marks in class 12^th (Plus Two) examinations, honourable Justice N Kirubakaran commented that he had scored much less than the marks those are required to gain admissions in Indian medical college.

Quite to his wonder, he noted as to how students, who were ineligible to gain admission in a domestic institution, could be allowed to obtain the same degree from a foreign university and recalled that in an interim order passed last year, he had already observed,

"Only meritorious students should be allowed to enter any medical colleges as the life of the patients/citizens are with the prospective doctors. This court cannot take a risk with regard to public health as it would go against the interest of the society."

The Medical Council of India, who was made a suo-motu respondent in the case submitted details of procedures adopted by it to grant eligibility certificates to join foreign medical colleges.

The apex medical regulator informed the court that before the introduction of NEET, just 50% marks in Plus Two were sufficient to join a foreign medical institution.

"After NEET came into force, it had been mandatory to clear it even for securing a medical seat in a foreign country. The MCI had issued a notification on March 1 this year amending the regulations governing the issue. The procedure of issuing eligibility certificates was dispensed with and clearing NEET was made mandatory for all admissions from June 1 this year," the MCI added to its submission.

In his observation, the judge doubted how appropriate would it be to permit students who had scored 50% marks in Plus Two examinations to get admission in foreign colleges just because they had cleared NEET and insisted,

"Apart from clearing NEET, at least 75 to 80% marks in Plus Two should be scored to gain admission in foreign colleges."

"Students who scored at least 75 to 80% marks in Plus Two alone should be allowed to pursue medicine in foreign institutions… Otherwise, children of moneyed people will easily obtain medical degrees and people will end up getting substandard doctors," the court observed

The Hindu reports The Madras High Court has asked Medical Council of India (MCI) to spell out the minimum marks that had been prescribed by it for issuing eligibility certificates to Indian students wanting to join medical courses in foreign colleges

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