SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 7: Now, the handicapped candidates of MBBS reserve seats in the state will have to face a 2nd medical test at medical colleges before their admission to the Jharkhand medical colleges.
Rattled by the fake handicapped certificate complaints by the medical colleges’ authorities in the first phase of admission, which concluded on November 4, the medical education wing of the state health department has directed the principals of five medical colleges to conduct a 2nd medical test of the candidates before their admission on the reserved seat for the handicapped in the current academic session.
Dr SK Singh, the director of medical education of the state health department, issued a notice to the principals and admission in-charges to take a second opinion from specialists on the certificate of the handicapped candidates before admitting them to the reserved seats.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has reserved 5% of MBBS seats for handicapped (deaf, blind) candidates. Though NMC has already named 16 hospitals across the country for a screening of handicapped candidates, in Jharkhand, admission is being taken based on the certificate of civil surgeon only.
“Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) health took serious note of college principals’ complaint over doubtful certificates submitted by the handicapped students during the first counselling admission. He discussed it at the meeting and directed to take a second opinion from a specialist doctor on the certificate of handicapped students before taking admission,“ said the medical education director.
Dr SK Singh, who is also the principal of Hazaribag medical college. said that he refused admission to a student on the reserved seat of handicapped who had come with the wrong certificates.
Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad also sent two students back over suspicious certificates. Admission in-charge Prof (Dr) Ganesh Kumar said that the candidates’ certificates of the civil surgeon were in the wrong format, so he sent them back and asked to come with the correct one.
In 2021, SNMMCH authorities rejected the admission of two students in the first and second counselling due to wrong handicapped certificates.
Dr SK Singh said that though a notice has been issued on November 5, the students who were admitted during the first counselling will also have to go through a 2nd medical test by a specialist doctor.
“This academic session (2022), the medical education wing has assigned the college principals to set up committees of specialist doctors to conduct medical tests of students. From next year, the health department is mulling to set up a department at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) Ranchi to screen the handicapped students,” he added.
