Centre directs MCI to withdraw notification on entrance tests

Updated on: Thursday, January 06, 2011

The Centre has directed MCI to withdraw immediately, its notification making entrance tests the sole qualification for admission to graduate and PG courses in all medical colleges from 2011-12.

The Health Ministry, in a January 3 letter to the Chairman, Board of Governors of MCI (Medical Council of India), said the notifications have been issued without prior permission from the Centre and therefore "invalid ab-initio".
  
The letter, sent by Sube Singh, Deputy Secretary to the Ministry, a copy of which was made available to PTI, directed MCI "to withdraw the notifications with immediate effect".
  
Singh said Section 33 of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, empowered MCI to make regulations with the previous approval of the central government.
  
However, the Board of Governors of MCI had amended the regulations on Graduate Medical Education, 1997 and post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000 and notified Common Entrance Tests for admission to Graduate and PG Medical courses without obtaining centre's prior approval, he said.
   
"In view of the aforesaid, under section 3(C) of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Act 2010, the Board of Governors of MCI is hereby directed to withdraw the above notifications, with immediate effect under intimation to this Ministry", it said.
      
The MCI notification was supposed to come into affect from the next academic session.
   
The directive to MCI to withdraw the notification comes a day after AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa demanded its withdrawal, saying it would deprive students from rural areas from seeking admission to medical courses.
  
All India Medical Association, an umbrella organisation for self financing medical colleges had also demanded withdrawal of the notification with its president T.D Naidu writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to direct MCI to withdraw its notifications as it was "illegal and arbitrary".

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