Gujarat NEET PG Counselling 2022 choice filling begins; Why are MBBS graduates protesting?

NEW DELHI: The Admission Committee for Professional Postgraduate Medical Education Courses (ACPPGMEC) has begun the Gujarat NEET PG counselling 2022 choice filling process amid ongoing High Court hearing on the new domicile criteria announced by the state.

The state medical committee has also informed candidates as per the direction of Gujarat High Court that the process of admission to PG medical colleges in the state shall be subject to the outcome of judgment of the case.

Till last year, only students who completed MBBS in Gujarat and of domicile of Gujarat were considered eligible for Gujarat NEET PG Counselling. However, the state has now allowed students who completed MBBS outside Gujarat to take part in the state NEET PG 2022 counselling process.

Gujarat Intern Doctors' Association and the Gujarat MBBS Students’ Association jointly issued a statement against the new domicile rule and approached the high court on September 19. The court heard the plea on September 26 and will continue to hear today as well. Meanwhile, it had directed the ACPPGMEC to notify all the students who would be participating in the allotment process either individually or collectively about the judgment of the case.

As per the order, the officials have informed the aspirants about the ongoing hearing and have also begun the choice filling process on the official website, medadmgujarat.org. Candidates were also requested to complete the Gujarat NEET PG counselling choice filling process with or without considering the seat matrix available on the website as vacants seats be converted to government, management seats in respective categories, as per the admission process.

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Why are Gujarat MBBS students protesting?

Medical aspirants took admissions in MBBS courses in Gujarat in 2014 despite getting admission in medical colleges in Delhi and other state universities only to be eligible for Gujarat PG NEET counselling 2022. The PG eligibility criteria back then was: “Students who completed MBBS in Gujarat only can participate in State PG Counselling”.

Explaining how the new rule impacts the meritorious students, the Gujarat MBBS students group said, “Students who didn't get admission in Gujarat Medical Colleges or failed in GUJCET took admission outside Gujarat and Foreign Universities (in 2014). (Due to the introduction of new criteria) Students who took admission outside Gujarat are now eligible for counselling in 2 states.”

“Students who didn't have good marks in GUJCET or NEET took admission in DY Patil, Maharashtra are now eligible for Government and Private PG Seats of Maharashtra and Gujarat.

While meritorious students who took admission in BJ Medical College are only eligible for Gujarat, not for Maharashtra,” it further said.

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Many students took admission in private medical colleges, deemed universities of Gujarat by paying higher fees for MBBS courses by thinking that they won't be eligible for State PG Counselling if they took admission in other states of India or abroad where cheaper fees options are available, the MBBS students group said.

the main factor we decided to stay in Gujarat, so if you suddenly forcing this rule to apply in middle of MBBS, this will be injustice to thousands of MBBS students who already took admission in previous years

2) What about the Bond system? Students of Gujarat are getting signed

— Gujarat's MBBS Student (@MedInstagram) September 23, 2022