CPS courses on Ventilator? 1500 doctors move DMER seeking clarity
Mumbai: Even though the National Medical Commission (NMC) has withdrawn its earlier notice discontinuing the PG medical courses offered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), the admission process for the CPS courses seems to be on ventilator as the candidates are now running pillar to post seeking clarity.
Although the registration process was completed in July, admission to these courses remains stalled. As per the recent report Indian Express, raising the issue, more than 1500 CPS aspirants, who have already registered for the admission process, have written to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), which conducts the admissions, and demanded clarity on this issue.
They have further complained to the authorities that despite paying Rs 3000 as registration fee, they have no idea regarding the admission schedule and they are also unaware if they would get any refund of the fees paid by them.
Also Read: NMC discontinues CPS Mumbai courses, warns hospitals, students
One such candidate, who wrote to the DMER, told Indian Express, "This is the admission process of the academic year 2023-24, which is already delayed due to various issues. We were hopeful as the registration process had started indicating that admissions for CPS courses have finally commenced. But since the registration process concluded on July 13 this year, there is no update thereafter."
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after discontinuing the CPS courses, the National Medical Commission (NMC) withdrew its decision. The Apex Medical Commission had withdrawn its notice announcing the discontinuation of all the CPS courses after an order was issued in this regard by the Bombay High Court.
Commenting on the halted admission process, one of the aspirants told Indian Express, "Following registration, a State Merit List (SML) is declared and then starts the process of choice filling wherein candidates provide their choices of courses in preference order. At the beginning of the process, the information brochure for admission to CPS courses stated that the choice-filling will be possible at the time of registration. But registration did not include the choice-filling. If there was no clarity on admissions, the registration should not have started. Now, all of us who registered for admissions are left in a limbo. If they are not going to conduct admissions, they should refund the registration-fee."
A senior officer from the DMER also confirmed that the admissions are currently on hold. Confirming this, the officer said, "We are waiting for directives regarding CPS admissions from Bombay High Court and the government."
The CPS Controversy:
Around 450 PG medical seats are offered under various courses run by CPS. Established in 1912, CPS Mumbai is an autonomous body that imparts Postgraduate medical education and offers fellowship, diploma, and certificate courses for medical professionals. For the Diploma courses, the tenure is two years; in case of Fellowship, the tenure is three years. After obtaining the qualification granted by CPS Mumbai, the practitioners are allowed to register themselves as specialists in the concerned speciality.
CPS courses have been facing major controversies for a long time. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that referring to significant gaps in the standards or institutes offering CPS courses, the medical education department of Maharashtra previously wrote to the Union Health Ministry asking for its opinion on whether counselling can be conducted for around 1,100 CPS seats.
Writing to the Centre, the department referred to the inspection of the Maharashtra Medical Council conducted last year and how during the inspection, MMC had found "severe deficiencies" in several institutes. The Central Government has also set up an eight-member committee to look into the matter.
The controversy continued further and then the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) recommended to the Union Health Ministry to withdraw the popular DPB- Diploma in Pathology and Bacteriology, DCH - Diploma in Child Health and DGO- Diploma Gynecology and Obstetrics courses run by CPS from the next academic year.
After NMC, the National Board of Examinations (NBE) also offered rejection to the CPS courses by refusing to bring them under the aegis of the NBE. Moreover, States including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Karnataka were reportedly considering decreasing the intake for the CPS courses or discontinuing them.
Last year, the Maharashtra Government then de-recognised the courses offered by CPS and asked the medical institutes and hospitals not to admit students for any of the 26 diplomas or fellowships offered by CPS, Mumbai.
Ultimately the matter reached the Court and filing a plea, CPS argued that 10 courses which were recognised under NMC Act 2019 cannot be de-recognised by the State. Thereafter, in December 2023, the State filed an affidavit in the Bombay HC and stated that it would review its decision.
Then opposing the CPS's plea, which challenged the State Government's decision to de-recognise the CPS courses, former MMC member Dr. Suhas Pingle had approached the Bombay HC. However, this year, Maharashtra Medical Education Department issued a gazette notification on March 15 reintroducing the 10 CPS courses dermatology, midwifery and gynaecology, gynaecology, pathology, surgery, medicine, ophthalmology and diploma courses in gynaecology and obstetrics, pathology and bacteriology, and child health.
Earlier this year, challenging the three notifications that allowed the institute to continue its 19 medical courses, the former president of the Maharashtra branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and a former member of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) approached the Bombay High Court.
In August 2024, NMC through a public notice discontinued the PG medical courses run by CPS. In its notice, the apex medical commission pointed out that in reply to its show cause notice for not complying with the norms laid down by the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), now NMC, the institute acknowledged itself as an exam body similar to the National Board of Examination of Medical Sciences- NBE with the authority to give medical qualification.
Previously, writing to the Union Health Ministry on 05.07.2024, the NMC reiterated its stand regarding the PG medical courses run by the CPS Mumbai, and urged the Union Health Ministry to ban those courses. The Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) stated that "there should be no admission to the PG medical courses run by CPS, Mumbai in the State of Maharashtra as well as other States/UTs."
The Commission had referred to the inspection conducted at the CPS institutes by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), which had earlier concluded that admitting students to such institutes would be detrimental to the career of the students and would also affect the health system.
Also Read: NMC withdraws Notice on discontinuation of CPS Mumbai courses
