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Anuradha Varanasi
Anuradha Varanasi

MAHARASHTRA

Doctors back domicile-based reservation in medical colleges

medical-doctors

Bombay HC had stayed government resolution that proposed 67% reservation for state domicile aspirants

While a holiday court of the Bombay High Court stayed the Government Resolution (GR) on domicile-based reservation in medical institutes in Maharashtra on Sunday, senior doctors and health activists are in favour of the GR that demarcates 67 per cent of post graduate seats in medical colleges for Maharashtra domicile aspirants.

According to the GR, 50 per cent seats for PG courses in deemed medical colleges were to be filled with students based in Maharashtra. Apart from this, half of the institution quota seats (35 per cent)  were also to be filled with students from the state. As of now, both private and government institutes have 25 per cent and 50 per cent of their seats reserved respectively for these students.

However, the GR was bad news for several medical students as the online admission process for PG medical courses had started in January this year for all private as well as government medical colleges. This has left several candidates who completed their MBBS in Maharashtra medical institutes in a lurch as they are now ineligible for admission. In fact, five such students had approached the HC to challenge the GR.

Despite this, doctors and health activists say the GR announced by the Maharashtra government is a good move. Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM hospital, says, “It will benefit our hospitals since local students will get better opportunities.”

Agreeing with Dr Supe, the dean of Nair hospital, another major government medical college in Mumbai, says, “Other states like Telangana have already reserved seats for domicile candidates. So, Maharashtra students who were competing for higher medical education are at a disadvantage. Hence, the GR is a good decision taken by the government as Maharashtra students will now have equal opportunities. However, the remaining Indian states will also have to reserve medical seats for their domicile candidates to even things out.”

Dr Abhay Shukla from the Jan Swashtiya Abhiyan says it makes sense to give more preference to Maharashtra candidates as they are most likely to continue working in the state. “The government spends around Rs 35-40 lakh on a medical student, so this is a huge subsidy put into the patient in every single medical college,” says Dr Shukla.

“Other than only reserving seats for domicile candidates, the government should also make it compulsory for the candidate to work in a government hospital for at least three years after graduating from the PG course. Many graduates migrate from the state and that is of no benefit to the public. The government should give the doctors a location preference on which medical college they want to continue working in the state,” adds Dr Shukla.

He rues that as of now, everything is only on paper while doctors and nurses in Thailand who graduate from a deemed government institute have to continue working in a government hospital for a span of three years. “This rule is strictly followed in Thailand, which benefits the citizens,” he says.

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