Kerala to take up all medical seats

Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has decided, for the first time ever, to make admissions to all seats in self-financing medical and dental colleges through a common counselling process.

This will effectively deprive the managements of their usual say in the admission process, virtually ending the practice of seeking capitation money.

The health department issued an order on Saturday making it clear that the admissions to merit seats in self-financing seats for MBBS and BDS will be held from the state entrance rank list.

The health department has also issued a directive to the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) to make arrangements for the counselling process.

The admissions to management and NRI seats will be from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

Earlier, the Union health ministry had also issued a directive that admissions to self-financing medical colleges in the state should be from a common list prepared by the state government based on NEET.

Admission supervisory committee headed by Justice J.M. James had also endorsed the decisions of the Union health ministry and had asked the government to go for a common counselling for MBBS admissions in self-financing medical colleges.

As per the order of the health department, the CEE has been directed to make necessary arrangements for counselling in the private, management and NRI quota seats in Private, Self-Financing Medical and Dental Colleges or any Private Deemed University from the NEET List following the reservations and quotas agreed to with the Colleges last year.

Admissions to 50 percent of merit seats will be done based on inter se rankings as per Kerala Engineering Agricultural Medical Entrance Examinations (KEAM), the order said.

 Kerala Private Medical College Management Association (KPMCA) had made clear in the discussions with health minister K.K. Shylaja on Friday that they would not to accept the decision of the state government to conduct a common counselling for admissions to all MBBS seats, including management quota in self financial medical colleges. The fee structure for both government and managements seats are yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, medical college management has decided to approach the court against the decision. MES president Fazal Gafoor told reporters that the James Committee had deliberately misled the government on the issue.

The Union health ministry order used the wording ‘may preferably go’ for combined counselling for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in all medical and dental colleges including deemed university.

James committee interpreted it as a Union health ministry directive for compulsory combined counselling, Mr Gafoor said. Christian medical college managements have also decided to approach the court against the decision.