CHENNAI: Two months on, the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) is yet to publish the results of the exam conducted to hire 1,021 assistant surgeons as it is yet to finalise the answers for the qualifying Tamil language paper. More than 25,000 candidates appeared for the exam in April.
Speaking to TNIE, MRB chairman Mangat Ram Sharma said, “The delay is due to finalizing the answers for the qualifying language paper as many of the answers were found subjective and required re-vetting by Tamil experts. The final results will be declared within four weeks. I am personally monitoring it and will expedite it further.”
This is the first time the government made Tamil Eligibility Test mandatory as part of MRB examination after the state government made the Tamil language paper mandatory for recruitment to government services. Although the score will not be taken into account while calculating the rank, candidates are required to score a minimum score of 40% to qualify.
Meanwhile, the delay in announcing the result has made many doctors anxious. A few doctors awaiting results said they have not taken up jobs in private hospitals. Doctors say they prefer to enter government service because of 50% reservation for government service doctors in post graduate medical courses, apart from job security.
A doctor, who wrote NEET PG and is waiting for counselling, said she would skip counselling and join service if she gets selected. The results would usually be declared within a month of the MRB exam, she said. Another doctor said his income was affected as he has been without a proper job for the last six months. Another doctor said she has put on hold her wedding plans this year as she was not sure about her positing or if she would make it.
“MRB last conducted a recruitment exam in 2018. So, if we miss this opportunity, we are not sure when the government will recruit doctors through MRB again. If it again takes these many years, then the competition may also increase. At that time, we might have to compete with one lakh doctors for around 1,000 posts,” said the doctor.