KOTTAYAM: Upbraiding the LDF Government over the medical admission imbroglio, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday said a conspiracy between the government and self-financing medical colleges (SFMC) led to the tangle. He also called for Health Minister K K Shylaja’s ouster in the wake of the Health Department’s total failure on this front.Chennithala said the government alone was responsible for the MBBS admission process getting stuck in a quagmire.
“The government’s inefficiency and ineptitude allowed the self-financing college managements to get things done as per their whims. The students became victims of the unholy nexus between the managements and the government. Though the deadline for admissions ended on Thursday there is still no clarity on the fee structure,” he said. Ramesh said the crisis could have been avoided had the government given an undertaking in the Supreme Court regarding the bank guarantee .
“The government could not conduct the case properly in the Supreme Court. If the government had given an undertaking regarding the bank guarantee in the court, the burden would not have been passed on to the students. Besides, it failed to point out the four classifications of fee structure in the court which had been in effect till last year,” he said.
50 MBBS aspirants get a lifeline from DM Foundation
Kochi: The Doctor Moopen’s(DM) Foundation provided MBBS admission to 50 students who secured a top rank in NEET at an annual fee of Rs 5 lakh. The students were provided admission to DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences (WIMS) Medical College in Wayanad. It was announced the 50 students need not provide a bank guarantee and can pursue their medical education for a period of five years by remitting the annual fee of Rs 5 lakh irrespective of the fee being fixed by the authorities later. “We are very happy at being able to provide the chance to 50 meritorious students to realise their dream. I was saddened by the plight of the students. The request by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister K K Shylaja also prompted the decision, ” said Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of DM Foundation.
Bring in legislation, says kanam rajendran
At a time when self-financing medical admission is going through a crisis, demands are increasing for a comprehensive legislation in the sector. The latest to join the bandwagon is CPI, which pointed at the need for a legislation to rein in the self-financing managements. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran has asked the government to convene an all-party meet to arrive at a consensus in this regard. Based on which a special Assembly session should be called.
Clear norms should be brought in for admission, fee and conducting of examinations in the self-financing sector, he said. Referring to the ongoing fiasco, Kanam reminded it’s the government’s onus to come out of the shadow over medical admissions, caused by the self-financing colleges. “There should be a permanent solution to the students’ woes. Not only admissions to medical and engineering courses in self-financing colleges but also other aspects like standard of learning should be brought under scanner. The recent developments point at the need for a comprehensive legislation to address the issues,” Kanam said.