Karnataka: MBBS graduates to finally get Medical Council registration, Compulsory Service Rider imposed
Bengaluru: Paying heed to the dilemma of the MBBS graduates who are being deprived of their rights to practice as doctors, the Karnataka Government has decided to release their documents and provide them with Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) Registration. However, a rider has been forced as per which the students have to submit an affidavit that would ensure that after getting their appointments the medicos would fulfil their compulsory rural service requirements. Failing to do so, they would have to cough up a fine of Rs 30 to 50 lakh.
This decision on the part of the government was taken during a Thursday meeting, in the presence of the medical education minister, director of medical education, officials of health department and the MBBS graduates.
However, the decision is applicable for only Government quota students and the Government is planning on holding another meeting over the weekend for other students as well.
Medical Dialogues had recently reported that being deprived of their rights to practice as doctors in absence of registration from the Karnataka Medical Council (KMC), around 3500 MBBS students were in the lurch as the medical colleges had withheld their original documents submitted at the time of admission.
These doctors of the 2015 batch had been awaiting their marks card for over two months now without which they couldn't get registered with the State Medical Council, which is mandatory for practicing.
As per the medical college authorities, the original documents were withheld in compliance with the instructions given by the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) over the issue of clarity on compulsory rural service.
Earlier, a bunch of medicos moved the Karnataka High Court challenging the validity of the Karnataka Compulsory Service Act which mandated one year of compulsory Government service.
This came after the Director of Medical Education, PG Girish wrote a letter to the Dean and Directors of Government and private medical colleges in Karnataka asking them not to release the original documents collected from students at the time of admission, until further instructions from the DME.
Upset over the same the medicos had come under the umbrella of the Karnataka Association of House Surgeons (KAHS), demanding immediate release of their original documents and the association planned to have a conversation with Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar on Thursday.
After the Thursday meeting, DME PG Girish told the Times of India, "The health department is getting ready for counseling. Till then, the students will get certificates and KMC registration. But they will have to submit an affidavit that when their postings are made, they will work in rural areas for a year."
"While the decision on Thursday was only about government quota students, one more meeting will be held over the weekend on all categories of students. The health and medical education departments are taking a legal opinion because there are 3-4 different rulings from the high court and Supreme Court on this. The health department will also look at the vacancies available and consult the finance department. A final decision on these matters will be taken at the next meetings and will be decided during the weekend," he further added.
However, DME didn't agree to the suggestion made by the student representatives to waive off the time taken by the Government to make proper orders. "The delay happened because of Covid and not done intentionally by the government. That's not a genuine excuse for students to seek a waiver," said the DME.
Deciding to wait until DME issues an official circular to colleges directing to release their documents, the students have further mentioned that the Government would face several problems over the lack of vacancies to recruit students for rural service and also coughing up salaries for them, reports the daily.
However, happy over the govt decision to release the documents, one MBBS graduate told the daily, "We're glad there has been some headway. We've been so powerless to do anything as we neither have a KMC registration nor a rural service posting."
The news has been making rounds on Twitter as well. Sharing the news, one user wrote, "After two months of uncertainty light at the end of the tunnel. Government quota mbbs graduates of Karnataka will get KMC registration after signing an affidavit of doing rural service if asked by the Karnataka govt."
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