Medics with Punjab domicile seek state quota seats

Faridkot, May 13

On the day the Supreme Court declined to postpone the NEET, scheduled to be held on May 21, many aspirants for MD/MS medical courses today wrote to the state minister for health and medical education, urging him to make all Punjab domicile students eligible for state quota seats.

Fifty per cent of the MD/MS seats fall under the state quota seats and the rest under the all India quota (AIQ) seats. While the admissions on the state quota seats are made by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) from among the candidates in the state medical colleges, the admission on the AIQ seats is made by the Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) in the office of Director General of Health Services at New Delhi from across the country. As per the prospectus of NEET-PG-2021, released by the BFUHS, students who have completed their MBBS from other states are not eligible for the state quota seats. Only those who have passed their MBBS from Punjab are eligible for these seats.

A large number of students from Punjab pursue MBBS from other states on AIQ seats. Many such students want themselves to be considered for 50% state quota seats in Punjab. In Haryana, Maharashtra and many other states, every student having state domicile status is eligible for state quota PG seats, irrespective of his/her college in MBBS course, said Kamaljeet Malwa, father of a student.

“We should not compromise on quality students and should give a chance to all Punjab domicile students to compete for state quota seats. We should give chance to the high meritorious students on the basis of their domicile, not college,” demanded the parents in a letter to the minister.

Dr Raj Bahadur, VC, BFUHS, said, “The admissions are done as per the guidelines of the Department of Medical Education and Research. We will do it according to the state government norms.”