BENGALURU: The state Medical Education Department has decided to write to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry requesting to give seats for Karnataka students at deemed medical universities in the state.
After a discussing with the heads of deemed medical universities in the state on Wednesday, Medical Education Minister D K Shivakumar said he will request the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to make provision for students from the state to get seats at deemed medical universities.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Shivakumar said, “Due to court orders, the deemed universities cannot share seats with the state government. Considering this we have decided to request the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to get 50 per cent of seats at deemed universities to state students.”
At least 1,630 medical seats and 640 dental seats at deemed universities in the state for undergraduate courses are available and the department is asking for 50 per cent seats to Karnataka students. These deemed universities do not come under the state act or state government. They are affiliated to the University Grants Commission (UGC).
“Students from other states are getting admissions at deemed universities here and going back to their respective states. What’s the use if we produce doctors and send them to other states? If it is our students they will serve here,” Shivakumar said.
There are nine institutions from eight deemed universities with 1,630 MBBS seats and 640 dental seats.
Shivakumar added that this was an attempt by the state government to ensure that there was no shortage of doctors in Karnataka. “Very few students from the state get admissions at these universities,” he said.
Dr S Kumar, secretary of Consortium of Deemed Universities in Karnataka, said, “We have no objections to allot seats to Karnataka students, but we want the counselling to be done by the Directorate General of Health Services.” And for this to happen, deemed universities want the Union Health Ministry and UGC to issue an order.
Kumar also pointed out that although they had entered into an MOU in 2017-2018 academic year for post graduate seats and had decided to give 25 per cent of their seats to Karnataka students at a concessional fee of `6 lakh for clinical degrees, the Supreme Court had said that they (deemed universities) need to maintain the “all India” character.