Advance booking for PG medical seats

Perhaps never heard in the annals of medical education, the post graduation seats in several private medical colleges have been booked well in advance! True, this was admitted by some of the managements themselves and a top functionary of medical education as well.

This is because of huge demand of PG seats in the State colleges, which enjoy a special provision under Article 371-D, through which all the seats can be filled up with the students of Andhra Pradesh.

There has been no increase of PG medical seats over the years in proportion to the number of graduates coming out annually. As a result, several bright medical grads could not do post graduation and super specialty courses to brush up their skills.

In five disciplines-Radiology, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Dental and Orthopedics, there has been tremendous demand. The total number of available seats in each of these courses in the PG medical colleges is just around 60. More than half of the seats would go into convener quota. The remaining seats are being sold out by the managements to a whopping amount, making medical PG seat sour grape for a common student. Each of the seat in radiology costs around Rs 2 crore whereas each seat in dermatology is being sold for Rs 1.6 crore and pediatrics, ortho seats are in the range of Rs 1-1.5 crore, depending upon the college. The dental PG seat is also some way around Rs 75 lakh- 90 lakh.

A total of 2,532 seats (1,190 in government and 1,342 in private colleges) (other than dental PG) are available and out of which nearly 1,900 seats would be filled up under convener quota.

“There are a few takers for general medicine PG seats. Everybody wants specialisation that would help them in pursuing super specialty courses. Radiology and Dermatology are, in a way, dead-end branches. A radiologist or dermatologist once employed in a hospital can continue there without any hitch and he/she has a huge public demand with minimum risk. Orthopedist can fix up certain amount for each of the operation he or she performs. They are easy-to-do, safe departments. That’s why many students prefer them,” Dr Vamshi, an aspirant and President of JUDA, Osmania Medical College told The Hans India.

Keeping in view of the huge demand, some of the top private colleges have been taking advance from the students of affluent classes to book their seats in advance. The students have been paying the amount while they are pursuing internship. The managements have been assuring ‘seat guarantee irrespective of their performance in state medical PG entrance exam.

The officials of Department of Medical Education have also admitted knowledge on sale of seats but expressed inability to stop it. The NTR Health varsity is supposed to take action on the irregular admissions, a top official of DME said.