Medical aspirants await state nod to 49 new colleges

Medical aspirants await state nod to 49 new colleges

Hemali.Chhapia@timesofindia.com 16.09.2024 

Mumbai : Even as medical aspirants queue up to find a seat, all eyes are on the chief minister’s office, which has a pending file requiring approval to start 49 colleges. These comprise a mixed bag of new institutes that offer a range of medical education programmes, including MBBS colleges, nursing institutes, physiotherapy, and naturopathy colleges.

 All these private institutes have completed several levels of inspection, including an inspection by the committees of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and the Directorate of Medical Education and Research. Sources said the institutes that received approval of affiliation from the MUHS include three MBBS colleges, one dental college, 19 nursing colleges, 18 of postbasic nursing, 14 of ayurveda, and two of homeopathy. The list of 49 includes some physiotherapy and naturopathy colleges as well. States across India are giving a green signal to their new colleges to start so that a larger pool of seats is available. With this year’s medical entrance test -undergraduate National Eligibili ty cum Entrance Test -having several top rankers and high scorers, the marks cutoff for entry to medical colleges has soared. 

“In most colleges, the difference in closing ranks between 2023 and 2024 in every round of admission has seen a huge gap of a 1,000-odd ranks. With the cut-off for general merit seats being high, students have been pushed to either opt for private colleges or choose another stream of medicine or take a year’s break and reapply next year,” said a principal. In Maharashtra, the scenario is no different. The MBBS cut-off in govt colleges in the open category stands at 642 in the first merit list; last year the corresponding cut-off was 587. In private colleges, too, admissions in open category seats closed at 602 in the first round this year. In 2023-24, gates closed at a score of 534. College managements said that despite the huge “rush and desperation” for a seat, the state is sitting on the file for new colleges. “As admissions are on, thousands of students can benefit from getting a seat if this file is cleared and colleges are given much-needed approval to participate in this year’s admission,” said a trustee of a college.