After the National Medical Commission (NMC) cancelled admissions made to UG and PG medical seats in three private medical colleges in Telangana, students of one of them — MNR Medical College — rushed to Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) seeking steps for protection of their future.
Of the three colleges, MNR, located in Sangareddy, is the one that has been hit very hard with the NMC cancelling not only UG courses but also seats in a few disciplines in the PG courses. It was in courses like Pathology, Anatomy, Ophthalmology and Biochemistry that the PG seats were cancelled in MNR college.
Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences, Vikarabad and TRR Institute of Medical Sciences, Patancheru are the other two colleges in which the seats have been cancelled. In Mahavir, only PG seats were cancelled while admissions made to the second-year UG courses at TRR Institute were cancelled.
Upset over the reports of cancellation of seats, about 50 PG students from MNR Medical College attempted to meet KNRHUS Vice-Chancellor Dr B Karunakar Reddy to seek an assurance that their careers would be protected. Though the students sought the appointment, the VC refused to meet them. The students then made a representation to university Registrar D Praveen Kumar, seeking steps for resolution of the seat cancellation muddle.
When contacted, the Vice-Chancellor said that he had not received any communication from the NMC regarding the issue. "There are no directions or orders to us. The students need not worry about their careers. If at all the seats get cancelled, the state government would take care of the students' interests," he said.
The students continue to remain worried over the disquieting development. One PG student from MNR Medical College, who did not want to be quoted, said that the news came as a shocker to them. "We came here to meet the VC for assurance for protection of our careers. We will meet Health Minister T Harish Rao and KNRUHS VC soon," he said.
Why were permissions given?
Speaking to Express, Telangana Junior Doctors' Association (T-JUDA) President N Karthik questioned the NMC on how it had given permission for admissions in the first place and what justification it now has for the cancellation of the seats. "I don't understand how the NMC could cancel admissions without first issuing notices to the colleges and the university," he said. It was his demand that the Government of Telangana should resolve the issue and ensure that the students' careers are not imperilled.
According to sources, the NMC had cancelled the seats after making surprise inspections of the colleges all over the country in March. Though admissions were made later in May, the NMC remained silent and now cancelled the seats.
The medical colleges that received the blow are preparing to make efforts to get the decision reversed. They are also planning to go in for legal recourse. The NMC teams, in their inspections, are learnt to have found that the hospitals attached to these three colleges were wanting in the number of patients.
