Health Minister hands over MBBS admission letters

CHENNAI: Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam handed over admission letters to medical colleges to toppers on the first day of the MBBS counselling.

At a brief function organised at the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital here, he presented the students with the letters. This was followed by counselling for Special Categories.

Speaking to journalists later, he answered questions pertaining to the strike by the non-service medical, dental post-graduate trainees, house surgeons and super specialty students. “We are unwilling to undertake any further negotiation until they accept our offer. Let them accept this and come to the table for further negotiation,” he said.

“So far, a sum of Rs.4,500 was being provided to house surgeons, we have hiked it to Rs.6000. Those who were getting Rs.8,500 will now get Rs.13,000; those getting Rs.9,000 will get Rs.14,000 and those getting Rs.9,500 will now get Rs.15,000,” Mr. Panneerselvam said. Besides this, students of super specialties who were getting Rs.10,000 will now get Rs.16,000, third year students would get Rs.17,000; fourth-year students Rs.15,000 and fifth-year students Rs.16,000.

Compared to this, in private medical colleges, house surgeons were only provided up to Rs.2,000 as stipend, and they had to pay higher amounts as fees. In the government sector, the fee was highly subsidised, with the government providing as much as Rs.3 lakh as subsidy.

He said if students continued their protest, the government would be forced to let the Medical Council of India know through the report they are mandated to submit that the students were on strike. This was likely to reflect in their certificates and affect their career and higher education, according to a release from the Director of Medical Education.