CHENNAI: With just a day left for candidates to submit online applications for MBBS and BDS counselling, 52 students with disability have submitted their applications under the persons with benchmark disability quota till Tuesday. Last year 60 students applied for 212 seats under the quota.
After the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) opened its portal for disability certificates on July 7, parents and students with disabilities rushed to the disability assessment medical board at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, one of the few designated centres in the country by the Union Health Ministry. Parents and students were affected by poor arrangements at the venue and the short time to submit the disability certificate.
The State Selection Committee in its notification said students should upload the disability certificate from the regional medical board before the last date of applications (July 12), failing which their eligibility under quota will not be considered.
According to parents, the committee started calling students from July 5 to visit the board and get the certificate. “We came to Chennai 10 days back to get this certificate and spent around Rs 20,000 for food, accommodation and transport. If all the specialties were at one place then we wouldn’t have faced a problem, but we were sent to different departments for various tests.
We went to Institute of Mental Health, Kilpauk, then to Government Ophthalmology Hospital, Egmore. It would have been difficult for people who are not familiar with the city and not educated,” said a parent who came from Ariyalur district.
Another parent said there was no one to guide initially. “They started streamlining from Tuesday. They could have put up a help desk to guide people. My son has a specific learning disability, IQ test was done at the Institute of Mental Health. We were also sent to the ENT Department and also Ophthalmology Hospital, Egmore, for tests which were not required,” he said. The committee is planning to release the rank list on 16 July.