Karnataka government has strongly opposed the circular issued by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) to all the states to consider and verify the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in their states while issuing Essentiality Certificates, stated a report in The New Indian Express.

Minister for Medical Education Dr Sharanaprakash Patil, in an interview with The New Indian Express, on Saturday, September 30, stated that his department received the circular a few days back.

It is a unilateral decision of the union government said the minister and added that it is a standard practice that while making such decisions, the state governments should also be consulted and their opinion should be heard. But in this case, neither the union government nor National Medical Commission has consulted the Karnataka Government, he pointed out.

"The new circular would hamper the state governments of South India where more number of doctors are required as a large number of people, especially in rural areas, are suffering from many diseases. The infant and maternal mortality is also high in the states of South India. There is a need for more medical colleges, especially government medical colleges in the states of South India and this circular will create hindrance in opening sufficient medical colleges," he said.

The Karnataka government would write a letter to the union government shortly opposing the decision of the National Medical Commission, Dr Sharanaprakash Patil said.