Government asks Haldwani Medical College to stop mandatory psychological evaluation of medical candidates

Haldwani: Days after the Government Medical College in Haldwani made psychological evaluation mandatory for newly joining candidates, the Uttarakhand medical education ordered the college officials to immediately stop the practice over discontent amongst the students. 

The college had ordered a mandatory psychiatry test before allowing admission to candidates. The directive issued by Dr Ashutosh Sayana, director, Uttarakhand medical education department stated, "All orders related to the mandatory psychiatry examination, if any, are to be cancelled immediately."

Also Read:Psychological evaluation made mandatory for medical admissions in GMC Haldwani

Earlier, for admission to MBBS and MD-MS courses in the college, only general health tests were conducted. The general health test included nasal-ear-throat (ENT), ophthalmology, medicine radiology and pathology examination of all candidates. 

The psychological evaluation of candidates is an addition which took place this year, which was reported by the Medical Dialogues team previously. The Principal of Haldwani medical college Dr Arun Joshi had said, "Anxiety, depression, stress and other mental health issues are increasing these days in society. Medical courses require a lot of attention and dedication, so it is important for us to know the mental state of every student... so that we can help them with their overall performance."