Common counselling for medical courses notified

Aditi Tandon

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 11

After introducing a single medical entrance exam (NEET) at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the Ministry of Health today notified common counselling at the state level for admission to medical courses at both levels.

The recently passed amendments to Medical Council of India (MCI) regulations in this regard say the designated authority at the 

state or Union Territory level will conduct common counselling for all medical education institutions in that state. 

All Central government institutions, state government colleges, universities, deemed universities, trusts, societies and minority institutions would have to comply with the new direction.

“The move would bring transparency to the admission process and curb the practice of capitation fee charged by private colleges. Students would not have 

to apply to multiple agencies for admission in the same state,” the Health Ministry today said adding that amendments to Medical Council of India regulations have made common counselling mandatory at the state level.

After the Central Board of Secondary Education conducted National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2016, the ministry, in consultation with states, issued an advisory on August 9 last year asking states to preferably conduct combined counselling for MBBS admissions for 2016-17. 

The UGC was also asked to direct all deemed universities in September last year to become part of common counselling for admission to common courses organised either by 

state governments or the Central  government or through its agencies based on the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test marks.

On December 5, 2016, the advisory for common counselling at state level was issued for admission to postgraduate courses 2017-18. These advisories were required because counselling was not covered under any regulations and the admission process had evolved as an administrative mechanism.

With amended notifications under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 1997, and the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000, common counselling has become mandatory and legal.

The counselling for all-India quota seats at undergraduate and postgraduate levels will continue to be conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health.

The common counselling at state level means all institutions, including minority colleges such as  CMC-Ludhiana and CMC-Vellore and medical colleges run by religious bodies like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, will have to participate in the process.

The Tribune was the first to report the movement towards common counselling.