MBBS toppers skip counselling in Tamil Nadu for all-India seat

With a total of 1,359 students scoring more than 500 in the State, a large number of students were absent in the open category in MBBS counselling. A total of 1,306 students have been allotted seats in government colleges and self-financing colleges under State quota so far.

Among the top 20 scorers in the rank list, only 10 of them attended counselling and took seats under the State quota. Out of the top 150 rankers, more than 15 students were absent for the counselling. More than 40 students have opted out of the counselling so far.

Despite an increase in the cut off this year, the skipping of seats by the top performers has given a chance to the students with lower marks to avail seats in the State. Meanwhile, the top rankers are most likely to have taken up seats during the All India counselling.

Experts say that the top scorers mostly take up seats in AIIMS or Madras Medical College. The State topper Shruthi K from Tiruvallur, who scored 685 marks and secured rank 57 in all India rank in NEET 2019, also topped the MBBS rank list but instead took up seat in All India counselling. Meanwhile, Aswin Raj A K from Anthiyur, secured second rank with 677 marks and took up seat under the State quota. Even in 2018, 10 out of the first 20 rankers including the State topper skipped the counselling and took up seat in AIIMS.

More than 1,500 seats have been allotted to candidates as on Thursday for MBBS/BDS courses in government colleges and self-financing courses under State quota. There are 700 vacant MBBS seats in government colleges, while 783 seats and 104 seats in self-financing and ESIC colleges. There are 62 BDS seats available in Government Dental College and 1,138 seats in self-financing colleges.

After expressing resentment over low pay to government medical college students and doctors, the federation of government doctors’ association has planned to stage a protest across the State on Friday.

The government doctors are demanding the State government to meet the demands of government doctors and postgraduate students by hiking the pay and increasing the number of posts in the government hospitals.

Various medical associations including Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD), Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association (TNMSA), Government All Doctors’ Association (GADA) and Doctors Association of Social Equality (DASE) are coming together to present these grievances staging dharna at the government hospitals throughout the State.

The government doctors’ association members asserted that the State government is appointing and transferring the doctors and postgraduate students based on the Medical Council of India norms, irrespective of the patient load at the government hospitals.

“The patient load at the government hospitals in the State is more when compared to the number of posts in Tamil Nadu. Despite having adequate number of doctors in the State, the State government is not increasing the number of posts of government doctors in the government hospitals, which increases the burden on the doctors,” said Dr Balakrishnan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association.

The government medical college service doctors have been demanding for 50 percent reservation for government doctors in PG medical admissions. The medicos had demanded a provision of 50 percent reservation for government doctors in PG and super speciality medical courses, after the apex court and Medical Council of India denied the proposal for the same last year.