Medico Spots Suspicious Corrections in Marksheet

KOTTAYAM: As the victimisation row among the medicos of the Kerala University of Health Science (KUHS) gets hotter by the day, a former resident doctor at the Department of Forensic Sciences, Government Medical College, here, is trying hard to swallow a bitter ‘marksheet pill’ handed over by the authorities.Dr Ajith Kumar S, who is now working as the medical officer in charge at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Vellarikkund in Kasargod, appeared for the PG final year examination held in May-June, 2014, and serious discrepancies were spotted in his paper valuation.

Though, he failed in theory and practical examinations, he was declared passed in practical exam after he pointed out a serious mistake that his marks were totalled out 100 instead of 400. Following this, his marks for the practical exam had been changed from 57 to 223.

He sought re-totalling of his theory paper, for which he was still short of two marks to pass the exam. He had 198 marks against the pass mark of 200.

After re-totalling, his mark changed from 198 to 199. Ajith, who was confident enough of his performance in the exam, sought the mark sheet through RTI Act. In his complaint filed to grievance redressal committee, he alleged that “without indicating any reason, the score sheet of the theory examinations was denied.”

While the appellate authority, who is the Registrar of the university, had also same stand in the matter, Ajith secured his mark sheet through a favourable High Court order.

He decided to approach the redressal committee following which he found suspicious corrections in his mark sheet. “Six marks awarded for question No.4 has been corrected as five marks and five marks awarded for question No.7 has been corrected as four marks,” he said.

According to him, there were enough reasons to believe that corrections were intentional. “Why did they cut down the awarded marks and who did it?” Ajith asks.

As the decision on his complaint is pending before the redressal committee, Ajith is unable to appear for the supplementary examination that commences on November 5. This has put him in severe mental trouble. Meanwhile, more students are planning to approach grievance redressal committee following reports of deliberate victimisation of medicos. Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association (KMPGA) is also planning to launch protests.