Updated on: Tuesday, June 28, 2011
With ten more private medical colleges willing to surrender more seats towards the government quota for admissions into medical colleges through single window counselling, over 600 seats are on the grab for aspiring doctors this year.
The Directorate of Medical Education has decided to include more than 600 seats from ten of the eleven self-financing medical colleges affiliated to state medical university in the first phase of counseling, which is scheduled to begin on July 1.
This would enable top scorers the option to choose self-financing colleges in the first phase itself whereas earlier they had to wait until the second stage.
Last week health minister DS Vijay said the government will not include the self-financing colleges in the phase 1 of counseling as many colleges did not give a commitment on the number of seats they were going to surrender.
However, the selection committee, which is in-charge of counseling, told said although did not know the number of seats they would get from these colleges but said ten self financing medical colleges have agreed to surrender seats for admission through single-window counseling.
According to the government order dated 6th June, all self-financing medical college, affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University should surrender up to 65% (minority institutions should surrender 50%) towards the government quota for admissions.
Until last week, the government wasn't sure of the number of colleges willing to surrender seats as MCI hadnt given its clearance on the number of seats for certain colleges like Chennai Medical College, Tiruchi and Tagore Medical College, Chennai.
Dr Sheela Grace Jeevamani, secretary told, once the MCI recognises the colleges, we would have them on the seat matrix.
MCIs decision on the seat intake is expected on June 30.
On Monday, the government got MCI clearance for two of its medical colleges “ Theni and Tiruvarur “ along with the self-financing Sri Muthukumaran Medical College.
The first phase of counselling will have 1,653 MBBS seats in 17 government medical colleges and 85 BDS seats in Madras Dental College.
For more details on Tamil Nadu medical counselling schedule log on to www.tnhealth.org/notifictaion/MBBS%20Counselling%20Schedule%202011-2012.pdf