Students fear losing seats

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It’s time for medical students to face an ugly truth. Many who have taken admissions in various colleges by paying a hefty amount might face the danger of losing seats. Medical Council of India recently told Supreme Court that it had found several private medical colleges admitting students in post-graduation courses beyond the 50 per cent management quota cap. The council has decided to discharge these students admitted under exceeding management quota and no one would be permitted to claim equity.
Although no notice has been issued to students as of now, this report has created anxiety among PG students in private medical colleges, who took admission under management quota. Neha Tyagi, second year student, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad, who paid between `6 to 10 lakhs for admission, finds it unfair. “Why should students suffer when college management policy is at fault? As the medical seats in government colleges are less, we are bound to take admission in private colleges by paying a heavy amount. If students are discharged and such a harsh action is taken against them, then we will protest.”
Agrees Rupali Singh, a final year surgery management student of Santosh Medical College, and shares, “If the government colleges have less number of seats, what’s the harm if private colleges are raising the number of management quota seats? They should infact encourage more private institutes.”
Sharing her experience, Delhi-based Ritika Gupta (name changed), a first year MD student who took admission in management quota in one of the well known medical colleges in Mumbai, says, “In my previous college, few students were suspended and later shifted to a lower batch, as they were admitted beyond the management quota limit. It was a waste of their money as well as an academic year. So this time while taking admission in PG degree, I made sure that I have all the important college documents that validate my admission in college. I think government should set certain cut-off for these private colleges running on management quota, so that anyone who can pay the heavy fee is not admitted to a medical college.”
And few appeal for replacement to government colleges. “It’s an unfair decision on the part of MCI. They should provide replacement to other colleges and strict action should be taken against the college authorities who defy law,” says Sonali Shah, a first year PG student from Subharti Medical College, a private medical college in Meerut.
According to college professors, private medical institutes need a more transparent regulation system. Yatish Aggarwal, a professor with Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College, says, “If the government decides to discharge students, they should also make sure that complete fee of the candidate is refunded. The institute should be penalised and that amount should go to the students. After all, it’s a waste of an academic year. It will deter any educational institute from flouting rules in future.”