79 PG med seats in non-clinical streams vacant

79 PG med seats in non-clinical streams vacant

TNN | Feb 13, 2025, 04.01 AM IST

Chennai: At least 79 postgraduate medical seats in non-clinical subjects such as anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry remain vacant even after the state conducted three rounds of counselling. Officials at the state medical selection committee said no one applied for 51 govt and govt quota seats and 28 management quota seats in five non-clinical streams.

“We exhausted the merit list but found no candidates for these seats,” said a senior official in the selection committee. “We also don’t know if the students who were allotted the other non-clinical seats will turn up. The state shares 50% of postgraduate seats through the central quota,” the official said. Almost every year, seats in five non-clinical subjects – pharmacy, forensic medicine, anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry – remain vacant, the official added.

Desperate for students, deemed universities such as the SRM Medical College and Research Institute have waived tuition fees for students joining MD anatomy, biochemistry, or physiology. Some colleges even pay a stipend to students. Yet, colleges say most of these seats are vacant.

Experts say students prefer clinical specialties such as general medicine, dermatology, or surgery because they believe non-clinical streams offer limited career prospects and low incomes. Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University's former vice-chancellor, Dr Sudha Seshayyan, said, “Many medical colleges don’t have adequate teaching faculty either because they don't want to pay high salaries or because they can't find them. Non-clinical subjects are being taught by people with MSc degrees."

The Tamil Nadu govt doctors’ association is pushing to promote non-clinical careers by showcasing diverse opportunities in research and offering incentives to attract talented individuals. “Those in non-clinical streams get better perks such as non-practising allowance,” said association president Dr K Senthil.

New nursing colleges unlikely in 2025-26 Lack Of Infra In Existing Institutions Vexes RGUHS

New nursing colleges unlikely in 2025-26 Lack Of Infra In Existing Institutions Vexes RGUHS 

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 22.01.2025

Bengaluru : Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) is contemplating not inviting applications for starting new nursing colleges for academic year 2025-26. A discussion in this regard was held during a recent syndicate meeting. Over 700 nursing colleges are currently affiliated to the university. “There was a discussion on the condition of existing colleges. When there are so many existing colleges that lack even basic facilities, we should be focusing on improving the quality there. The inspection committees show several lacunae every time they go to colleges. At this rate, why should we permit more name-sake colleges which could further bring down the quality of education?” wondered a member who attended the meeting.

However, vice-chancellor MK Ramesh said no decision was taken in this regard. “There was a preliminary discussion where the pros and cons were discussed. But no decision was taken,” he said. S Shivakumar, president of Karnataka State Association of Managements of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Institutions, said that the university should look at a moratorium for nursing colleges. “There are enough nursing colleges now. The university should look at improving the quality of the existing colleges,” he said. 

“There are around 30,000-35,000 students graduating every year. BSc nursing is still in demand. There was a drop in admissions last year as they were made through the Common Entrance Test (CET),” Shivakumar said. “At the same time, the university should also look at the terms and conditions for approving an increase in intake for medical courses. Colleges that apply for an increase in intake in medical courses get approvals easily without meeting the criteria. There cannot be two approaches for the approval process for different programmes,” he added.

 “RGUHS can sanction new nursing colleges as long as basic norms like a minimum 200-bed parent hospital in urban areas, 100-bed in rural areas, and other basic infrastructure are available. These hospitals must be owned by the same trust opening new nursing colleges,” said Mithesh Kumar Moodukonaje, founder of the National Pre University Students Parents and Teachers Association. “But at the same time, RGUHS must close down illegal nursing colleges which got approval using forged documents and bribing officials, to save the future of healthcare education. Last year itself, about 75 colleges were initially not approved but some of them were later shown to be complying. There should be strict compliance,” Moodukonaje added. In CET 2024, around 31,812 seats were available through Common Entrance Test for counselling. Of this, 15,068 were filled. 

Vice-chancellor’s term ends on Feb 10

With the term of current vice-chancellor MK Ramesh ending on Feb 10, the search committee formed for the purpose is expected to meet soon. Former vice-chancellor of Rani Chennamma University M Ramachandra Gowda, former VC of Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University Prof TR Thapak, and PS Shankar, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, are the nominees of the state govt, chancellor, and syndicate respectively. The principal secretary of the department of medical education is the convenor of the committee.

Surge in NEET-UG cut-off marks: More students opt for Indian medicine courses

Surge in NEET-UG cut-off marks: More students opt for Indian medicine courses

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 21.01.2025

Chennai : Gaining admission to undergraduate courses in Indian medicine and homeopathy was tougher this year as the NEET-UG cut-off — the marks of the last student to enter the course — rose by an average of 100 marks in most categories, and by up to nearly 300 marks in select categories. While all seats in undergraduate courses for unani and siddha across colleges were taken, five in ayurveda and 19 in homeopathy were vacant after nearly five rounds of counselling, officials at the selection committee for Indian medicine said. The committee admits students to ayurveda, siddha, unani and homeopathy courses based on merit in NEET scores and the rule of reservation. 

“This year, we saw an increase in students interested in these courses,” said committee secretary Dr M Krishnaveni. The top student to join the bachelor’s course in siddha medicine had a NEET score of 592/720. The score was 585 for ayurveda, 551 for unani and 547 for homeopathy. These students weren’t exceptions, Krishnaveni said. “The difference in marks wasn’t huge.”

Offers galore for Ayush 

Krishnaveni said the last candidate to join siddha had a score of 539. “Barring unani, where the cut-off was 433, all others had a cut-off above 500,” she said. In 2023, the cut-off for siddha was 423, followed by 412 for ayurveda and 405 for homeopathy. The unani cut-off was 231 in 2023 compared to 433 in 2024. Barring unani, the cut-off for all courses in reserved categories was above 400 this year, while students with scores as low as 120 joined these courses last year. 

Experts say the rise in cutoffs was expected as the MBBS cut-offs have increased several fold over the past few years. In 2024, the cut-off for MBBS in the general category for govt medical colleges was 650, while for self-financing colleges it was above 600. In reserved categories, it was around 470. “Many students who have written NEET-UG several times are tired. They don’t want to wait and try another year as it gets tougher with each passing year,” said Manickavel Arumugam, who counsels students. Students and parents agree. “My nephew missed MBBS by two marks. He passed out in 2020 and most of his friends have graduated. We know we can’t afford to pay fees in private colleges. So, he decided to join siddha this year,” said Rajkumar E, who works for a pharmaceutical company. “Many AYUSH graduates now have offers from clinics, pharma companies and govt,” he said.

Who can now become a medical college professor? NMC relaxes teaching eligibility rules

Who can now become a medical college professor? NMC relaxes teaching eligibility rules

Doctors with zero teaching experience can enter medical academia - here's how.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: January 19, 2025 15:25 IST

Senior residents with a diploma could be promoted as assistant professors.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has updated requirements for teachers’ eligibility for medical colleges, easing some of the norms for appointing professors. With an increase in the number of medical colleges in the country, there have been concerns about the number of faculty.

Those who have worked as consultants, specialists, and medical officers for at least four years in a minimum 220-bed teaching or non-teaching government hospital can become an assistant professor. According to the new norms, a consultant, specialist, or medical officer with at least 10 years of experience can become an associate professor.

The 2022 norms allowed non-teaching doctors to become assistant professors after working for two years in a 330-bed non-teaching hospital, only when the hospital was being converted into a medical college. This was done because the government was in the process of converting several district hospitals to new medical colleges. “This would only be a one-time provision,” the previous norms said.

The new norms also relax the criteria for senior residents with diplomas to be promoted to assistant professors. The new norms state that those working as senior residents in the same institute should be eligible for the post of assistant professor. Those who have been teaching as PG teachers for the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences-approved diploma courses can become professors in NMC-approved colleges after three years of experience as PG teachers.

When it comes to appointing professors, the new norms require the publication of only two research papers as associate professors as the first three authors. The 2022 norms required four research papers by professors, with two as associate professors. It does not mention the order in which the person should be listed as the author.

The previous norms by the Medical Council of India required professors to have four publications as either the first author or the corresponding author. However, the 2022 and current norms clearly say that only original research meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and case series will be considered and not letters to editors or opinion pieces.

8,000+ PG medical seats vacant in allIndia third round; parents fear admissions may be delayed 15.01.2025

8,000+ PG medical seats vacant in allIndia third round; parents fear admissions may be delayed 

 15.01.2025 TIMES OF INDIA MUMBAI 

Mumbai : More than 8,000 postgraduate seats are vacant in medical colleges across the country for the third all-India round of admissions. Besides, close to 100 new seats are added to the process. With the eligibility criteria brought down to 15 percentile in NEET-PG for admissions to postgraduate seats, many more students will now be eligible to participate in the third round. Postgraduate medical admissions have been delayed this year even as the results for NEET-PG were announ ced in July last year. The NEET-PG admission deadline this year is Feb 15.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has released the seat vacancy list for the upcoming third round. Parent representative Sudha Shenoy, though, said the second round of admissions is still not over in several states, and therefore now the third round is likely to be delayed. Seats even in sought-after courses such as general medicine, radio-diagnosis and general surgery, are also vacant for the the third round. At the start of the process, the cutoff was 50 percentile. It was lowered further as many seats, including in clinical courses, were vacant after the second round. Several students' organisations also demanded lowering of the percentile to fill the vacant seats.

NEET PG 2024: MCC round 3 counselling deadline extended

NEET PG 2024: MCC round 3 counselling deadline extended

MCC NEET PG 2024 Counselling: The reporting and the joining at the allotted colleges will be done between January 18 and January 25.

By: Education Desk

New Delhi | Updated: January 13, 2025 09:35 IST

The registration deadline for round three has been extended to January 15. (File)

MCC NEET PG 2024 Counselling: The Medical Counselling Committee has revised the NEET PG counselling schedule for round three. The NEET PG final seat allotment list is to be released on January 18. The choice filling and locking window deadline for round three has been extended to January 16 up to 8 am.

Following a reduction in the percentile cut-off, the MCC has announced revised dates for round three of the NEET PG counselling.

The choice locking facility will be available from 8 am on January 15 up to 8 am on January 16, read the notice. The processing of the seat allotment will be done between January 16 and January 17.

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Eligible candidates seeking admission to PG medical colleges based on the updated cut-off percentile can register by January 15. The reporting and the joining at the allotted colleges will be done between January 18 and January 25.

The general and EWS category students scoring 15 percentile and above will be eligible to participate in the counselling. The new and revised cut-off required to become eligible for NEET PG counselling is 10 percentile and above for students belonging to SC, ST, OBC and PwD categories.

The NEET PG cut-off percentile was 50th for unreserved categories, 45th for PwD categories and 40th for reserved category students.

NMC to reduce workload of resident doctors by lowering NEET PG cut-off

NMC to reduce workload of resident doctors by lowering NEET PG cut-off 

To utilise the workforce efficiently, pre-clinical and para-clinical residents will receive training for OPDs

 Ayushi.Gupta1@timesofindia.com 13.01.2025

The medical fraternity is divided over the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) recent decision to lower the admission cut-off for the NEET-PG 2024 exam. Professionals argue that lowering the cut-off will compromise the quality of medical professionals and will benefit private institutions by allowing them to fill their seats and earn profits by admitting underqualified aspirants. Refuting these claims, the NMC states that the move aims to increase the number of practicing resident doctors and reduce stress caused by excessive workloads. Additionally, it seeks to address the issue of seat wastage in non-clinical medical specialisations such as Pharmacology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology. The cut-off for PG medical aspirants has been reduced to the 15 percentile for General and EWS candidates and the 10 percentile for SC, ST, OBC, and PwD candidates. 

Dr B Srinivas, secretary, NMC, says, “Lowering the percentile will not impact the quality of medical professionals, as all candidates are already qualified MBBS doctors with first-hand experience in treating patients. After enrolling in PG courses, these doctors will undergo further training needed in the course. Moreover, every postgraduate student must clear their final exams to earn their PG degree. Those who fail can only continue practicing as MBBS doctors.” 

Sharing the workload 

By lowering the cut-off, the NMC aims to address the issues of burnout in doctors and overworked resident doctors. According to a survey conducted by the NMC’s Mental Health Task Force in 2024, prolonged hospital duties have been a significant risk factor for mental health issues among medical students. Dr Srinivas says, “This step is both patient and resident doctor-friendly, as it will increase the number of resident doctors in all hospital OPDs, where staff shortages often overburden the existing workforce.” Meanwhile, clinical specialisations remain the most preferred choice for NEETPG aspirants, leaving pre-clinical and para-clinical specialisations with vacant seats. Both government and private colleges face significant resource loss due to seat vacancies.

 “The government incurs a setup cost of Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 crore per seat. When these seats remain vacant for all three years, the resources are wasted, benefiting no one. Allowing students with lower scores to fill these seats will reduce wastage helping colleges operate efficiently,” adds Dr Srinivas. Many private colleges reduce fees for non-clinical branches after the first two rounds of MCC counselling, making these courses more affordable, he adds. 

Creating more jobs 

A prominent reason for student disinterest following low enrolment in nonclinical PG courses is the lack of job prospects and financial stability, which has resulted in vacant seats. To counter this, the NMC plans to integrate non-clinical specialisations into roles with clinical exposure, leveraging the existing workforce, as was used during the Covid pandemic. “We are working to involve pre-clinical and para-clinical residents in OPD duties and use their skills in nursing homes, community services, and hospitals. This is a more effective use of manpower compared to many AYUSH doctors working in such roles in allopathic hospitals.

 Pre-clinical and paraclinical students have comparable skills and can be trained for clinical duties, expanding their job opportunities,” says Dr Srinivas. Previously, many NEETPG aspirants had appealed to the NMC to lower the cutoff, enabling them to enrol in non-clinical courses. “MBBS doctors have written letters requesting NMC to absorb them into pre-clinical and para-clinical courses, which will help them save time and further enhance their careers,” adds Dr Srinivas

HC breather for NEET PG in-service candidates

HC breather for NEET PG in-service candidates 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 12.01.2024

Bhopal/Jabalpur : In a relief to in-service candidates of NEET PG exam, a division bench of MP high court has said that they should not be compelled to surrender allIndia quota seats till the results of second round of NEET PG counselling is declared. The candidates’ security money should not be confiscated either, HC said. The petitioners -Dr Yash Dubey and some other candidates –say they are eligible to appear in counselling both under the central and state quota. They say they have been allocated seats in the second round of counselling in which they appeared under state quota. If they wish to retain these seats, they will have to surrender their seat under all-India quota by Jan 14 and their security money would also be seized.

Since there is a high court stay on declaring the result of the second round of counselling, they don't know which seats have been allotted to them. They prayed to the court to relax the rule of surrendering the all-India quota seat by Jan 14, which the bench of Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice Anuradha Shukla allowed. Advocate Himanshu Mishra appeared in the case for the petitioners

Colleges offer incentives for pre & para-clinical students

Colleges offer incentives for pre & para-clinical students

PG Courses See Low Enrolment, Lack Of Faculty

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 12.01.2025

Bengaluru : With pre-clinical and para-clinical courses in postgraduate medical admissions finding no takers, medical colleges are sweetening their offers. Many have promised tuition fee waiver, free boarding and lodging, stipends and jobs on course completion to lure students this year as well. Even after two rounds of counselling were completed, many colleges had zero intake in these programmes. The branches include anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, forensic medicine, microbiology and pharmacology. The fee ranges from Rs 1.1 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh at private colleges. A public notice from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, dated Jan 8, states the college has decided to provide full tuition fee waiver for candidates allotted seats during counselling by KEA for all pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects, except pathology and community medicine, for 2024-25.

The college has also promised free accommodation, boarding and lodging. A stipend will be paid in line with govt standards. There’s also a job guarantee with senior resident salary of around Rs 1.3 lakh a month. At the same time, there will be no obligation for the candidates to join the institution after course completion. Of the 20 seats, three in community medicine are filled so far this year. The college, which made a similar offer last year, could attract only around four students in these courses. Several other colleges have also come up with similar offers. 

Oxford Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre has also offered a tuition fee waiver if it gets students. “After the eligibility was reduced by NMC (National Medical Commission) to 15% for the general category, we decided to waive tuition fees. We’re willing to give Rs 30,000, Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 over the  three years as stipend,” said chairman Narasimha Raju. “We aren’t able to get preand para-clinical teachers. Anatomy has the biggest scarcity. Therefore, we want to encourage students to take this up. It’s a very good opportunity for students as the eligibility was also reduced. There is a huge demand for teachers in these programmes when compared to clinical programmes,” he added. 

Dr ME Mohan, dean of BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, agreed: “We have 26 seats and nothing is filled in the first two rounds. Nobody is willing to join these programmes as everyone wants to become clinicians. Hardly 10-15% seats get filled up in govt colleges and much less in private colleges. But these are foundation courses. We’re willing to appoint them immediately after they graduate.”

Med admission scam using bogus NRI certs busted in TN

Med admission scam using bogus NRI certs busted in TN 

Colleges And Edu Coaching Centres Involved 

A.Selvaraj@timesofindia.com 12.01.2025

Chennai : The crime branch probe into the NRI certificate scam for under-graduate and postgraduate medical admissions has unearthed a widespread network involving educational counselling centres manipulating the medical admission process. In Nov 2024, the director of medical education said at least 44 doctors had faked their certificates in their applications for postgraduate medical courses in Tamil Na du under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota. 

The directorate also found six MBBS aspirants had forged the embassy certificates, and three of them managed to get seats allotted in self-financing colleges. Their admissions were cancelled. More than half a dozen embassies/consulates of countries, including those of the US, Dubai, Canada, Singapore, Australia and Kuwait, confirmed the “ingenuity” of the certificates given by these candidates. Officials from the embassies also sought an action taken report from the govt. 

The Central Crime Branch’s forgery investigation wing led by assistant commissioner of police M Gayathrion on Saturday uncovered substantial evidence of malpractice during their raids conducted at eight private educational institutions.

105  documents, tech gadgets seized during probe 

During the searches, investigators discovered sophisticated document-forging equipment and multiple sets of fraudulent stamps. The searches were held at Sree Sai Educational Academy, Pallavaram; Meta Neet, Porur; Sri Sai Career Next Academy, Saligramam; Sri Sai Career Next Academy, Nungambakkam; Zion Career Solutions, Velachery; Life Link Education Consultancy, Anna Nagar; Study India Education Consultancy, Ashok Nagar; and Madha Medical College, Kundrathur. 

During the search, 105 incriminating documents relating to the case, 19 seals, 22 computers, two pen drives, five hard disks and mobile phones were seized. The documents will be scrutinised, and further action will be taken, said officials. Police have stumbled upon the involvement of centre owners, staff members and potential middlemen who facilitated these illegal admissions. The investigation also exposed possible collusion between these centres and officials in key positions. The counselling centres were found to be charging exorbitant fees from students, promising guaranteed medical seats under the NRI quota. 

They fabricated documents, including embassy certificates and supporting paperwork, to create false NRI credentials for local candidates. The Directorate of Medical Education and Research initiated a comprehensive review of all NRI quota admissions from previous years to identify potentially fraudulent cases. They are implementing stricter verification protocols for the upcoming admission cycles. The authorities are also examining the financial transactions of these centres to trace the money trail. 

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council has been notified about these findings and may take additional action against any licensed medical professionals found to be involved in the scheme. The state govt is considering new regulations to prevent such fraudulent practices in medical admissions. Students, who unknowingly participated in these fraudulent admissions, are being advised to cooperate with authorities. The investigation continues to expand as more evidence emerges, potentially involving other educational institutions and consultancies across the state.

NEET UG spl stray vacancy round 3 to start today

NEET UG spl stray vacancy round 3 to start today

 Mumbai : 23.12.2024 

The Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) gears up for the NEET UG 2024 special stray vacancy round 3, a last-ditch effort to fill the voids in all-India and state quota seats for MBBS, BDS, and BSc nursing programs, which opens on Monday. This round comes with a catch — no fresh registrations will be entertained, marking a decisive close to the admissions scramble. The round is being held after new seats were added to a few medical colleges in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in the first week of Nov. 

As per the official schedule, the choice-filling process for NEET UG 2024 round 3 will open on Monday at 11am. Registered candidates can log in to MCC's official portal, using their NEET UG roll number, password, and security pin to access the choice-filling window. Candidates must finalize their choices by the closing deadline, Tuesday 11 am. Following this, the seat allotment process will proceed, with results set to be announced the same day. Those who secure a seat must report to their assigned colleges between Dec 25 and 30, with a firm cutoff of 5pm, for completing the admission process. Parent representative Sudha Shenoy said, “It is unclear why new seats were added at this juncture. Admissions that ought to have ended in Sept are still going on.” In the case of homeopathy and ayurveda, new colleges have been approved and a stray round has been announced for those courses too.

Student association demands a reduction in cut-off for PG

Student association demands a reduction in cut-off for PG

By HT Correspondent

Dec 17, 2024 07:26 AM IST

IMA's Junior Doctors Network urges Health Minister Nadda to lower NEET-PG 2024 cut-off due to 15,000-16,000 vacant seats post- counselling.

Mumbai: The Indian Medical Association's Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN) wrote to union health minister JP Nadda on Sunday, urging a reduction in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - Postgraduate (NEET-PG) 2024 cut-off. Student association demands a reduction in cut-off for PG

This demand is coming after the second round of the NEET-PG counseling concluded. As per data by National Medical Commission (NMC), after round 2 counselling, 31,490 candidates were declared qualified for admission and around 15,000-16,000 seats remain vacant. Out of this, 1,500 seats are from Maharashtra.

The letter said, "Despite the extensive efforts by the National Board of Examinations (NBE) and other authorities, a significant number of PG seats remain unfilled across the country." It said that these vacancies translate into an underutilization of valuable resources in the country's healthcare education system and hinder the development of a robust medical workforce. The letter also stated that reducing the cut-off marks will ensure eligible and competent candidates to get a seat, which will thereby strengthen the country's healthcare system. “Reduction in cut-off marks will provide another chance to candidate fostering talent development. Also, this will address the disparity between the growing demand for specialized healthcare services and the availability of qualified professionals,” stated the letter.

In NEET PG's second round, 31,490 candidates were declared as qualified for admission. Last year, in a major relief to PG medical aspirants, the union health ministry directed the NMC to reduce the cut-off for qualifying percentile for NEET-PG 2023 to zero across all categories.

11 nursing colleges await nod from finance department

11 nursing colleges await nod from finance department

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  17.11.2024

Chennai : In April 2023, the state announced it had permission from the Center to establish 11 new nursing colleges in existing govt medical college campuses, with an intake of 100 students each. But the files related to these colleges are still awaiting approval from the finance department. The central government agreed to cover 60% of the costs. "Once established, these colleges will increase the number of govt nursing colleges in the state to 17," health minister Ma Subramanian said. 

The directorate of medical education submitted a proposal to the state finance department a few weeks later. “They wanted to know if the Center will fund recurring expenses such as salaries every year. Officials in the ministry told us the scheme allows funding only for the establishment of the college. So it is a one-time funding that can be used for construction of buildings,” said a senior health department official. The finance department also sought justification for new colleges. 

According to TN nursing council, the state, which has more than 1.8 lakh nurses, will in 2025 achieve the WHO recommendation of a minimum of three nurses per 1,000 population to ensure adequate healthcare coverage. "This ratio is crucial for providing quality healthcare services and addressing the global shortage of healthcare professionals," said TN Nurses and Midwives Council registrar S Ani Grace Kalaimathi. "While India has 1.8 per 1,000 population, TN will have close to 3 per 1,000," she said.

 Director of Medical Education Dr J Sangumani did not respond to calls, but officials in DME said they were unable to justify the need for more nursing colleges to the finance department. “The govt has 26 schools of nursing offering three year diploma courses in addition to the six colleges of nursing. In addition, more than 250 private colleges are offering more than 16,000 BSc nursing seats every year” the official said. Healthcare experts, however, say there are not enough nurses. in the state.

Plea by AYUSH colleges for 5 x fees from mgmt quota students junked

Plea by AYUSH colleges for 5 x fees from mgmt quota students junked 

FRA Dubs Association’s Demand As Unjust, Improper & Contrary To Law

Yogita.Rao@timesofindia.com 03.12.2024 

Mumbai : The state’s Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) rejected a demand made by the association of managements of AYUSH colleges to charge five times the regular fees from students admitted under the management quota, regardless of whether the student is an NRI or a non-NRI. The association’s demand was endorsed by the Maharashtra govt in a letter written to the authority in Sep, where it mentioned that it had no objection to allowing the institutes to charge higher fees. 

The FRA, however, mentioned that the claims made by the association, that they are unable to run the colleges from the income generated by the fees approved by the authority, are “unjust, improper and contrary to law”. In a detailed order, concluding that the association’s demand does not deserve any consideration, the FRA mentioned that the fees of each institute are based upon its income and expenditure, and the evidence produced in support of the provisions. “No institute can be permitted to indulge in the act of profiteering by allowing to charge exorbitant and excessive fees,” it stated. The proposal from the association came soon after the FRA decided to cap the caution money for AYUSH courses at Rs 25,000. The authority also mentioned that they came across several complaints from students about colleges allegedly demanding higher fees than the ones prescribed and approved by the FRA.

In their complaints, the students, who were allotted seats by the state’s CET cell, alleged that colleges demanded five times the regular fees at the time of admission. Some students even complained of colleges denying admissions for the same. “There appears to be some oblique  motive in raising such demand by some of the institutes to cover up their act of collecting fees more than the ones approved by the authority,” mentioned the FRA. 

Citing a 2018 order, the FRA mentioned that the association running AYUSH colleges cannot demand a different fee structure in comparison to institutions running other health science courses. The FRA said that the association did not produce any material to reconsider its earlier decision even in 2018, and therefore the request made by them cannot be entertained now. Additionally, it also pointed out that the process of approval of fee structures for 2024-25 commenced in Oct 2023 and the fees were already decided. Currently, the FRA allows colleges to charge three times the fees from students admitted under the management quota and five times from students who are admitted under NRI quota.

Dual seat allotments cause vacancies in PG med counselling

Dual seat allotments cause vacancies in PG med counselling 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK  30.11.2024

Chennai : At least 50 candidates in Tamil Nadu were allotted seats in both govt and management quotas after the first round of postgraduate medical counselling. Candidates can either accept one of the two seats or forgo both and apply for the next round. As a result, between 50 and 100 of these seats, besides others, are expected to remain vacant at the end of the first round. Officials have indicated that this trend of dual postings and subsequent vacancies may continue in the upcoming rounds of counselling this year. 

This year, the state selection committee relied on an error-riddled merit list prepared by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBE). Some students with lower scores were ranked higher, causing confusion. “The rank distribution in the govt quota differs from that in the management quota for nonservice candidates. This discrepancy is understandable for service candidates since they receive added incentive marks to their scores,” said Student Counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. 

For instance, a non-service candidate placed five ranks below another student in the state quota rank list was placed five ranks above the same student in the management quota list. To resolve inconsistencies between the state and manage ment lists, the selection committee conducted parallel counselling for both categories. It also issued a disclaimer and encouraged students to contact the national board for any clarifications regarding the merit list. “The fundamental purpose of an entrance test is to determine which candidate is superior. This test has failed to achieve that objective. It is worse for the state to wash its hands off the responsibility," Arumugam said. 

For the first time, the national board conducted NEET-PG in two batches on Aug 11 and declared results on August 23. The results came in percentiles instead of individual scores. This made it difficult for nearly a dozen states, including Tamil Nadu, which offer additional marks as incentives to in-service candidates. Tamil Nadu wrote to NBE seeking normalised marks so it could add incentive marks for counselling. This request was denied by the NBE. After discussions with the National Medical Commission, the apex body regulating medical education in the state, and the national board, it was decided that NBE would release the merit list using incentive marks given by states. At least two high courts – Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan – have already stayed the counselling following petitions of irregularities in rank lists. “We are hoping the state will do something here too,” said a candidate.

PG medical admissions: 44 doctors submit fake certs to avail NRI quota

PG medical admissions: 44 doctors submit fake certs to avail NRI quota

PushpaNarayan@timesofindia.com 26.11.2024 

Chennai : At least 44 doctors have faked their certificates in their applications for postgraduate medical courses in Tamil Nadu under the non-resident Indian (NRI) quota, a verification by the selection committee at the Directorate of Medical Education has found. Half a dozen embassies/ consulates of countries, including those of the US, Dubai, Singapore, Australia and Kuwait, recently confirmed the “ingenuity” of certificates given by these candidates. 

In October, a list published by the postgraduate committee showed that 221 of the 446 (nearly 50%) candidates were ineligible either because they had not submitted adequate documents or because of errors in submission. “While some candidates were allowed to submit documents, the candidature of 44 doctors was declared invalid,” said selection committee secretary Dr P Arunalatha. “We will act against everyone who have produced fake certificates. We asked for legal opinion," she said.

On Monday, officials said the number of ineligible candidates was reduced to 114 from 221 after many candidates submitted relevant documents. More than 20 students faked consulate certificates in 2023, officials said. “If doctors forge certificates, it amounts to unethical practice. They should be debarred,” said Tamil Nadu Medical Council former president Dr K Senthil. At least five students serving their bond period in various govt hospitals applied for admission under the service quota, according to senior officials. “These candidates have also been made ineligible,” said a senior official at the Directorate of Medical Education. Two days ago, the under graduate committee announced that it would file a police complaint and initiate legal action against six candidates who had submitted fake certificates from at least four consulates. 

20% of in-service quota seats to be added to general pool Chennai : At least 20% of seats under the in-service quota in postgraduate medical courses are likely to be added to the general pool in the last few rounds of counselling by the selection committee in Tamil Nadu as there are not enough applicants. “This year, we have nearly 1,150 seats for the in-service quota, but there are just 1,094 applicants,” said a senior official in the selection committee. “Some of these applicants may apply through the general category, leaving no takers for nearly 20% of the seats. So, once we exhaust the in-service merit list, we will add vacant seats to the general pool,” officials said. Doctors' associations said fewer in-service candidates appeared for NEET-PG this year. “We don’t have enough candidates because there aren’t enough doctors,” said Service and Postgraduate Doctors’Association secretary Dr A Ramalingam.

6 MBBS candidates submit fake NRI certs; cancelled now

6 MBBS candidates submit fake NRI certs; cancelled now

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com  23/11/2024

Chennai : Six MBBS-aspirants under Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota category had forged the embassy certificates, and three of them managed to get seats allotted in self-financing colleges, said the state selection committee which handles medical admissions. The MBBS seats allotted to the three candidates have been cancelled, and now these will be included in the seat matrix during the special stray vacancy round scheduled for next week, the committee announced on Friday. It said the candidature of all six candidates was cancelled after ‘genuinity verification’. The committee sought verification of documents submitted by candidates to the respective embassies/consulates. At least four of them – Canada, Dubai, Riyadh, and Jeddah – replied stating that the certificates of six candidates were fake. Officials from the embassies also sought an action taken report from the govt. 

“We will be initiating legal action against the candidates. Their applications have been decl ared invalid,” a senior official said. Replies from a few other embassies/consulates are still awaited. Up to 15% of the seats in self-financing medical colleges and private medical universities are set aside for the NRI quota. These seats are reserved for students with NRI/OCI/PIO status. 

To apply under this category, students must provide documents that show their parents or relatives (one of the eight categories, such as sibling, grandparent, uncle, or aunt) are living abroad. “While processing applications before the first round of MBBS admission, more than 100 applications were made ineligible. This was because the ‘relatives’ were not as per the specification, or documents were insufficient,” the official said. The committee later emailed documents, including embassy certificates, to the respective embassies for verification. “We started the counselling because we have limited time. Three out of the six candidates were granted seats in two medical colleges,” he said. 

Two candidates were accepted into Madha Medical College and Research Institute in Chennai, while one was placed  in Karpagam Faculty of Medical Sciences and Research in Coimbatore. All these allotments have now been cancelled. These three seats will be added to the seat matrix for the special round of counselling, scheduled to begin on Nov 25. This will take the total seat tally for the special stray round to 60 – one seat in Stanley Medical College, six seats NRI/NRI lapsed seats in self-financing colleges, three NRI admissions that were cancelled, and 50 additional seats to Annaii Medical College and Hospital.

DME to act against six candidates who used fake documents for MBBS seats

DME to act against six candidates who used fake documents  for MBBS seats

The Hindu Bureau  CHENNAI 23.11.2024 

The Directorate of Medical Education is planning to initiate legal action against six candidates who applied for MBBS seats under the non-resident Indian quota using fake documents.

The medical selection committee, on its website, said three candidates had already been allotted seats. The allotment had since been cancelled. In a notification issued on Friday, it said the candidature of six applicants had been cancelled for submitting fake embassy certificates.

“Among the six candidates, three had got their MBBS allotment based on fake embassy certificates. The allotment of the three candidates is cancelled as per the rules in the prospectus, and these three seats will be added to the vacancies and included in the special round of counselling, which will start on November 25, 2024,” the notification said.

An official said it was routine for the DME to verify the documents submitted by the candidates with the embassies. The embassies responded saying the documents were not issued by them, a source said.

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET

Devising a foolproof system to ensure credibility of NEET 

Recommendations suggested by a seven-member committee to reform the exam have met with mixed reviews as experts weigh in on the options to check pilferage and other malpractices 

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com 19.11.2024 

Months after it was constituted, a high-level committee, headed by former ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, has proposed major reforms to the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) in the wake of this year’s paper leaks and exam irregularities. Experts claim the reforms were much needed to bring back the credibility in the examination system while advocating the need for multistage examination process and restricting the number of attempts and exam centres. The seven-member panel that submitted its recommendations on November 1, suggested some key recommendations, which include implementing a hybrid examination model where question papers would be transmitted digitally while students can use OMR sheets for answers. 

This method while strengthening the security will ensure the release of exam questions closer to the start of the exams, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorised access. The committee further proposed adopting a multiple-stage format similar to JEE to manage the large volume of applicants, along with limiting the number of attempts to create a more equitable examination landscape. Presently, candidates are allowed to take the NEET UG exam an unlimited number of times. The proposed change is also expected to motivate candidates to prepare more competently for their attempts. 

Further, to make the examination’s security more foolproof, the panel recommended reducing dependency on outsourced services and private test centres. The panel recommended that NTA should instead incre ase its permanent staff and the number of exam centres under its direct control. Currently, exams are essentially conducted in government-run institutions, with private  centres used only when necessary. A key proposal from the panel involves the development of a ‘Digi Exam’ platform, which draws inspiration from the successful implementation of the Digi Yatra initiative at Indian airports. This platform is expected to leverage biometrics, including facial recognition technology, to facilitate secure candidate identification and authentication. By adopting this approach, the NTA can move towards a more effective and paperless process for registration, exam access, and remote testing. Going digital “The ecosystem should be developed in a phase-wise manner before implementing such measures as not all class XII students are tech-savvy or computer literate. 

These initiatives should ideally be started at the NEET PG level,” says a senior faculty member from a Delhi-NCR medical college, sug gesting further the need to set up high-speed electronic printers at the exam centres to digitally print the question papers and minimise manual intervention. The centres should be owned and manned by NTA’s own employees who are adequately trained to manage the exam process. Further, in a high-stakes exam like NEET UG, a two-stage process, as per the recommendations, will eliminate a large percentage of candidates at the prelims stage, leaving the more serious candidates to compete for the final exam. “This will help improve the quality of candidates enrolling for counselling and college admissions. Additionally, the ratio of the number of seats to students will be reduced. 

But multiple sessions for a single exam much like JEE does not give students a clear picture about the difficulty level of each session, nor are they convinced about the use of normalisation for calculating the scores which may invite controversy the way NEET PG 2024 did,” says the faculty. Highlighting some of the key outcomes of the hybrid mode of exams, Dr Amit Gupta, professor, De partment of Surgery, AIIMS Rishikesh, says, “It will check to some extent pilferage of question papers. At one go, the question papers will be displayed on screens throughout the country. Thereafter, students can write their answers on the OMR sheets if the exam is in pen and paper mode, and online if it is a Computer-Based Test (CBT). A uniform CBT format might be an issue in the remote and rural interiors due to uneven internet access, giving rise to technical glitches.” He further adds that the same hybrid format is used in the OSCE exam (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) by National Board of Examinations (NBE) to assess candidates’ clinical competencies and knowledge of medical procedures in postgraduate examination. 

“The hybrid mode would face some issues like technological failures, insider collusion, or inadequate monitoring of exam conditions, which might persist if not carefully managed. Digitally transmitting question papers should have strong encryption and secure channels,” cautions Dr B Unnikrishnan, dean, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Multistage exam Since the number of candidates appearing for NEET exam far outweigh the number of candidates in any other national-level entrance exam, it would be better to have a multistage exam process, such as a NEET Prelims and NEET Main/Advanced just like JEE, says Dr Gupta, adding it will make the job of NTA easier and eventually lead to the smooth conduct of the examination. 

Moreover, restricting the number of attempts will give all candidates a fair chance to crack the exam considering there is presently no bar on the number of attempts, Dr Gupta says. However, Dr Unnikrishnan reasons that limiting attempts might affect candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. “Students who have access to better resources, coaching, and preparation might fare better, making it harder for those with fewer opportunities to compete effectively,” he say

Private medical colleges want to hike fee, move Madras HC

Private medical colleges want to hike fee, move Madras HC

The fee structure was maintained for 2020-21 by the panel chaired by by Justice K Venkataraman by taking into account the pandemic.

Express News Service

17 Nov 2024, 12:49 pm

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered notice to the government and the Committee for Fixation of Fee for private self-financing colleges on a petition filed by the TN Self-Financing Medical Colleges Association seeking increase in the fee for MBBS for 2022-25 academic years by revoking an order passed by the committee in this regard.

A division bench of Justices D Krishnakumar and PB Balaji on Friday directed the respondent authorities to file counter-affidavit to the petition and adjourned the matter by two weeks.

The petition noted that the committee headed by Justice NV Balasubramanian fixed the fee for MBBS for 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 as Rs 3.9 lakh for government quota, Rs 12.5 lakh for management quota and Rs 23.5 lakh for NRI quota by its order date June 6, 2017.

The fee structure was maintained for 2020-21 by the panel chaired by by Justice K Venkataraman by taking into account the pandemic. The association had sought the committee to revise the annual fee for UG and PG medical course for 2021-22 considering the increase in expenditure including salaries, delayed payment fees and other difficulties in running the institutions.

The committee fixed separate fee structures for government quota, management quota, NRI quota and NRI lapsed quota for 2022-23, which will be in force for three years, through proceedings dated October 15, 2022, it said. But, for the two state university private colleges, the fee fixed by the committee is higher than that of the self-financing medical colleges, it alleged.

The association said an average Rs 4.35 lakh has been fixed for government quota for self-financing colleges while Rs 5.4 lakh fixed for the same quota for the state university private colleges. There is disparity in other quotas too.

It sought the court to issue orders to quash the proceedings of the committee passed in 2022 and the consequential proceedings dated September 19, 2024 and direct the panel to fix fees afresh and allow self-financing colleges to collect fees on a par with state university private colleges.