Tamil Nadu: Private medical universities under a cloud on PG admissions with MCI's new changes

Chennai: The efficacy of post graduate medical admissions at Tamil Nadu’s deemed universities seems to have come under a cloud, with the Medical Council of India(MCI), changing the rules in the middle of the admission session.

The recent completion of admissions, based on NEET results, declared on January 13, by various universities on March 11, seem to have turned into a futile exercise. The MCI has recently announced that it is mandatory that all admissions to undergraduate and post graduate courses be done by the state government, under a single window system.

On Tuesday, certain universities like Sri Ramachandra University said, that they had stopped their admission process, after the MCI announcement. The Saveetha University on the other hand, admitted to ambiguity looming large over admissions already done.

After the common entrance exam results for post graduate courses were declared by the National Board of Examinations in December 2016, private universities called in for applications of interested candidates.

"We received applications from across the country, we put out a rank list based on NEET scores and held counselling in a transparent manner for more than 70 PG and super-specialty seats as mandated by the Supreme Court," Director (medical), SRM Medical University, Dr James Pandian told TOI.

Students admitted to have paid partial fee, that would be refunded if they got admission through the government quota to colleges with fee 1/10^th of what had already been paid by them.

At Saveetha universities students paid 50% of their fee, on the promise that if admitted through government quota, elsewhere, their money would be refunded.

"We were told that if we prove we get admission through government quota in any other college, they will refund our fee. But now we are not sure our admissions will be recognized by MCI when the list of admitted students is submitted,"revealed a doctor. The deadline for completing PG admissions is May 31.

The Directorate of Medical Education, which based medical admissions till now on class XII percentages obtained by students, will now base its admissions on NEET results.

Selection Committee Secretary, Dr G Selvarajan, said his office has received a copy of the amendment to Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000 published by the gazette.

Clarification has been sought by the state health department on how counselling is to be conducted for private colleges and universities.

"As of now we don't know if they will apply 85% domiciliary quota and 69% rule of reservation," said Sri Ramachandra University vice-chancellor Dr JSN Murthy.