After Implementation of GMER 2023, No Common Centralised MBBS Counselling this year in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi: While the newly implemented Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 has talked about common counselling for admission to graduate courses in medicine, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian has assured that there will be no centralised common counselling for MBBS admissions to State quota seats this year.

Recently, official sources informed TOI that it will be voluntary for the States to take part in the centralised counselling and the plan of implementation in this regard will be subject to the availability of a software encompassing all the complexities of State-level reservations.

Pointing out that the admissions for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) test is set to commence in a couple of weeks and therefore, officials also assured that it is unlikely for the Central Government to roll it out this year.

The idea of implementing centralised counselling for the various medical institutes across India has been under process for a few months now. In this regard, back in April this year, the Central Government had sought feedback from the State Governments. At that time, most of the States had voluntarily agreed joining the central process conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services, provided that the rules of State reservations remained unaffected. However, a few States like Tamil Nadu had shown reluctance in this regard.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that in order to ensure that the policies by the State Governments and the reservation quotas remained unchanged, the States have been directed to send a nodal officer for explaining the respective reservation systems practised by them and also to monitor its implementation. Previously, the Health Ministry officials had assured that the State quota rules would continue. 

Also Read: Following NMC Draft Proposal, Govt Considering Common Counselling for admission to MBBS, PG medical courses: Report

Meanwhile, the Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 by the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been published in the official Gazette of India on June 02, 2023.

According to the Regulations, no student shall be eligible to pursue graduate medical education either in India or elsewhere (if they want to return and practice in India), except by scoring the minimum eligible score at the NEET- UG exam.

The regulations mentioned that there shall be a common counselling for admission to graduate courses in medicine for all Medical Institutions in India based on the merit list of the NEET-UG.

"Counselling shall entirely be based on the seat matrix provided by National Medical Commission; Provided the common counseling may have multiple rounds as may be necessary," it added.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, officials from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare mentioned that it will be voluntary for the States and it will be a disadvantage for those States which will not participate in the process.

“Centralised counselling will be beneficial for all stakeholders. Students will be able to select colleges of their choice from the comfort of their homes. Currently, they have the option of applying only to limited states, as they have to physically travel to these places. When they will get to see the seat matrix for all participating states, they will have a range of options. They can also work within their budget as there is wide fee disparity in medical colleges across India. This will also help reduce seat vacancies,” mentioned the official, adding that the DGHS is currently developing the software required for this.

Further, the official pointed out how Delhi has been a part of the central process for more than three years and other States are also more than willing to join. The official also mentioned that talks are currently going on with the State Counselling Authorities for merging their details into one main software.

The software will provide a student who is eligible for an MBBS seat to log in and apply under four options at the click of a button- all-India quota, state quota seat, deemed university as also all the open seats in private medical colleges in India.

Informing that the States had meetings with the NIC for explaining the manner in which their counselling software is designed, the official added, “It is more like we have to put the software of so many states into ours. The only problem is the time constraint to get all this logistically flawless.”

Commenting on the matter, a parent representative opined that the NMC Gazette has a lot of ambiguities and mentioned, “While the move is welcome, the age criteria mentioned in it can’t be implemented this year. Thousands of students will become ineligible with the new-age criteria."

Times of India adds that assuring that there the proposal for implementing a centralised common counselling for MBBS admissions to the State quota seats will not commence this year, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said after the graduate reception day celebrations at Madras Medical College, “The Centre has told us that it will not hold common counselling this year. Our aim is to ensure it does not happen in the future too.”

The TN Health Minister also pointed out that the regulations will affect the 7.5% quota for government school students in Tamil Nadu and reduce the number of native students securing an MBBS seat in premium government medical colleges like Madras Medical College.

“Common counselling is an infrignement on states’ rights. We wrote to the Centre objecting to the idea when it was proposed. We will meet the Union minister and push for withdrawal of regulations. If they don’t agree we will take the legal route,” he said.

Meanwhile, strongly opposing the idea of centralised counseling for MBBS admissions envisaged under the GMER 2023, Tamil Nadu has decided to drag the NMC to court over the matter, adds TOI. Speaking about this, an official told the Daily, "The Regulations are incompatible with the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which mandates the states to conduct counselling for the state quota seats. We are exploring all legal options to ensure these Regulations do not infringe upon the state's rights."

Health Department officials in the State have also pointed out that these new regulations are incompatible with the NMC Act 2019. According to Section 14 (3) of the NMC Act, 2019, "The Commission shall specify by regulations the manner of conducting common counselling by the designated authority for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate super-speciality seats in all the medical institutions which are governed by the provisions of this Act: Provided that the designated authority of the Central Government shall conduct the common counselling for all India seats and the designated authority of the State Government shall conduct the common counselling for the seats at the State level."

Also Read: NMC releases final Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023, check out details