INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
MUMBAI: Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, while speaking at a recent event in a Delhi hospital, called for reforms in medical
education, referring to the large volume of cases that have actually made their method to the Supreme Court.It is no exaggeration, as the
Directorate of General of Health Services Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), under the umbrella body of the union ministry of health and
household welfare, alone needs to handle almost 400 cases every year
From high courts to the apex court, the admission season is spoiled by litigation, from trainees desiring be doctors to doctors desiring be
professionals and super-specialists
In some cases, there are other stakeholders too and the stakes are indeed high
The National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate courses, for example
In the past four years, the variety of MBBS candidates signing up for the test increased practically by 25%
Around 17.6 lakh trainees stood for NEET-UG in 2022-- the highest for any competitive exam
On the contrary, the variety of candidates for engineering (signing up for JEE-Main) dropped in the corresponding four years-- from 11.5
lakh in 2019 to 9.05 lakh in 2022
If one takes into account the direct ratio of trainees to medical seats, 33 are vying for a single seat in a government college
It is more skewed if one considers the swimming pool of seats in each category.The variety of seats diminish at PG level
The competitors is strong for trainees in the lower rank bracket
Eligibility issues are likewise an issue in claims
One three-hour test can not specify your profession path, but regrettably everything revolves around it, stated Dr Aviral Mathur, from the
Federation of Resident Doctors Association
NEET-PG sees more lawsuits, states Dr Pravin Shingare, previous director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Maharashtra
The ratio of PG to UG cases might be 9:1
There is a lot of emphasis on students bagging a PG degree, from moms and dads, even colleges
More students opting for higher studies offer colleges brownie points in the accreditation process
There is a general sense of sensation that just an MBBS degree is of no repercussion
Instead of concentrating on their 1 year internship, most trainees hang out on NEET preparation and manipulate their internship certificate,
Of it, if trainees lose their seat over a technical point, they will prefer moving court over losing a year, he said
Even as thousands of trainees stand for their NEET-PG today, courts saw several litigation seeking postponement of the examination till
There is no uniformity in the schedule followed by various states, even as there is one central test for all
Students need to mandatorily finish their internship to be eligible for a PG seat, but the internship due date in states differ
What is the point of finishing the test in March and waiting till July for the counselling round? Such policy choices are not
student-friendly, and therefore are met with opposition, said parent representative Sudha Shenoy.Former member (board of guv), erstwhile
Medical Council of India and dean (jobs) at Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr Kailash Sharma, said clarity from National Medical Commission, from
MCC, government of India, is anticipated
Similar cases in lower courts need to be bundled and heard by the peak court that will likewise lower time on each case, stated
Sharma.Meanwhile, a complicated admission procedure has spawned a micro industry of medical education counsellors
The procedure is made complex for an 18-year old to handle on his own, stated Dr Milind Navlakhe, professor, KEM
His kid will stand for NEET-UG this year.
