All-India medical admissions now in 4 rounds for transparency

MUMBAI: Admissions to all-India quota seats in undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses will now be done by the centre in four rounds instead of two. The move will bring in more transparency in the counselling process and ensure there is no violation of merit. However, students from Maharashtra will be left with 200-225 fewer MBBS seats during the state round of admissions. For UG admissions, around 1,700 of the total 7,000 seats in the country were returned to states at the end of the second rounds previously.

Based on an affidavit filed by the ministry of health and family welfare, the Supreme Court directed the medical counselling committee (MCC) of the directorate general of health services to conduct admissions to 15% undergraduate and 50% postgraduate seats under the all-India quota in four rounds. This will mean that in addition to the first two all-India rounds, mop-up and stray vacancy rounds will also be conducted for 2021-22 admissions. Earlier only the all-India rounds were conducted by MCC and the vacant seats were returned to the state. An official from the ministry said that this was an anomaly in the admission process, which has now been corrected.

“Every year several merit rank-holders from states blocked seats in the all-India quota till the end of the second round and eventually took the state quota seats. While some genuinely waited for the second round to secure seats, some were running a syndicate in connivance with other stakeholders to ensure more seats are returned to the states. Around 1,700 seats were going back to the states (UG) and many higher merit rank-holders were left without seats in the all-India quota, even as students with lower ranks secured seats,” said the official. The ministry wanted to put an end to this and, in a case filed by students, an affidavit was filed to modify the process. No all-India seats will be reverted to the states in the new scheme of things, he added.

Sudha Shenoy, a parent representative, said that the move will definitely bring in more transparency. However, around 220-225 seats usually come back to Maharashtra after the second round, which will not be the case any more, and genuine students will be at loss.