Plea to restrain DME from conducting training programme

Chennai: Madras high court has directed Directorate of Medical Education (DME) to file reply on a plea moved by a post graduate medical student seeking direction to restrain the DME from conducting 6-month training programmes in pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques in violation of law.

A division bench of Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad directed the government pleader to get instructions from the DME on a plea moved by X. Sebastian Antony, a second year student of MD Radio Diagnosis in Stanley Medical College. The bench adjourned the matter to September 30 for further hearing.

The petitioner said nearly 550 students have been admitted by the DME in the six-month training programme in violation of the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of sex Selection) (Six Months Training) Rules, 2014. According to him, the rules have been made by the central government to select students for giving training in ultra sonography. There is stringent provisions under the rules regarding the period of training, curriculum, components of training, eligibility and recognition of institution.

Advocate Ragavachari, counsel for the petitioner said violating the mandatory provisions in the rules, students were admitted en mass. The authorities are admitting the students when a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Rules has been pending before the Supreme Court.

 As per Rule 8 of the regulation, the student teacher ratio has to be 1:1. There are 20 medical colleges in the state out of which only 11 have been approved for PG courses in radiology and total strength of approved PG teachers in only 85 and therefore only 85 students could be admitted to the programme.