PG medical admissions stayed

AUGUST 18: The Supreme Court has stayed admissions to post-graduate courses in medical colleges till August 26, when the next hearing takes...

AUGUST 18: The Supreme Court has stayed admissions to post-graduate courses in medical colleges till August 26, when the next hearing takes place on a special leave petitions filed by the Maharashtra Government and All Maharashtra Medical Officers Action Committee AMMOAC challenging a high court stay on admissions till August 13.

The HC had stayed admissions following a case filed by four medical students against the government8217;s decision to make one-year rural service compulsory for admission to post-graduate courses. It had also asked the government to continue giving admissions according to the old rules. In the old system students could skip the rural service by signing a two-year service bond with the government.

In their petition, the students had stated that the rural-service term disrupts the continuity in their education and also puts a pre-condition on merit-based admissions.

The state government responded to the HC order by filing a special leave petition in the SC. The petition pointed out that the HC order was unjustified because the earlier scheme of having the students sign a two-year service bond has failed. It said while the students don8217;t serve the state, the government in a majority of cases also fails to forfeit the security amount of Rs 1 lakh.

At the fifth conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare at Parliamentary House in January this year, the council had noted the scarcity of doctors in rural areas.

In its resolution passed to meet the shortage of allopathic doctors in rural areas, it had recommended that 8220;rural posting for a specific period be made compulsory and also a pre-requisite before admission to post-graduate courses.8221;

The conference report had stated that as per the 1991 census, in India 70.52 per cent of the total population of 846 million living in rural areas has inadequate health care facilities. Rural population is scattered over 5.57 lakh villages, and a large imbalance exists between rural and urban areas in provision of medical care services.8221;

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However, the AMMOAC8217;s members said before the rule was introduced, about 900 Primary Health Centre Medical Officer PHC MO seats were vacant, subsequently filled up. However, the stay on this rule, they fear, would result in 8220;the WHO-proposed goal of Health for all by 2000 AD8217; never being achieved.8221; Besides, the careers of over 800 medical officers posted in rural centres would be in jeopardy, they claimed.