‘Weight loss’ twist to MBBS scam

Parents Of 2 Med Students Say Their Kids Leaner Now

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:27.09.2019

The two first-year medical students from Coimbatore-based PSG Medical College, whose MBBS admit cards did not match their NEET scorecards, met officials at the directorate of medical education seeking ‘no objection certificates’ so they can rejoin college on Friday. Their parents, who accompanied them, said they had submitted old photographs for NEET and their children have lost weight making them look different now. They said they were willing to take part in any investigation to prove there was no impersonation.

On Thursday, PSG dean Dr S Ramalingam told the media that the college had stumbled upon two more cases of suspected impersonation. The photographs of two students — a male and a female — appeared to be different in the NEET scorecard issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the medical admission (admit) card issued by the DME’s selection committee. The management sent a letter to the directorate of medical education and asked the students to get a noobjection certificate from the selection committee to attend classes further. One of the parents said they had submitted an old photograph while applying for the NEET examination. “There has been significant weight loss in the past few months. We can assure you there is no case of impersonation,” said a parent. The parents had told the directorate that they were willing to subject themselves to any test.

Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayanababu and selection committee secretary G Selvaraju could not be reached. Senior officials at the directorate who saw the photographs brought by the parents of the students said ‘it did not seem like impersonation’, but that they will not able to declare them fit to join class without police confirmation. No police complaint was lodged and the officials did not compare fingerprints of the students with that of imprints in NEET attendance sheets. The NTA obtains finger impressions of candidates at the examination hall. However, officials in the DME said they were not aware.

Health minister C Vijaya Baskar said the health department was investigating the case. “We are looking into the complaints. We have requested the Centre to introduce bio-metrics in the NEET exam. We will also be doing it during the counselling process next year,” he said.

Self-financing medical colleges urged the government to compare fingerprints instead of using crude verification processes such as photos.

“We are no experts. It is difficult for us to match some five- or six-year-old photographs with their present face. Children grow fast and their faces change. It would have been simple had the state called for fingerprints as soon as they found a case of impersonation. Health department officials aren’t even aware NTA has finger imprints,” said a senior professor of anatomy at a government medical college.