SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Aug 3: Certificate verification of the candidates selected on the disability quota for admission in the first year MMBS in the 2023 session has once again appeared as a major problem for the five medical colleges in the state.
The admission on state quota seats in medical colleges of the state would begin from August 6.
In the 2022 session, due to the lack of an authentic handicap verification mechanism, two MBBS seats of disability quota remained vacant in the state. One was at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad and another at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) Hazaribag.
At the national level, the handicap certificate of 16 medical colleges across the country, notified by the National Medical Commission (NMC), is recognized for central quota students but in Jharkhand, the candidates of disability quota need a certificate from the Civil Surgeon Office Medical Board.
Since almost all Civil Surgeon office in the state lacks advanced tools to test disability, sometimes a candidate’s certificate becomes suspected.
Last year, the certificates of two candidates selected on disability quota became suspected and finally, they were denied admission by the college authorities.
Rattled by the complaint of the suspected certificate issued by the Civil Surgeon office, last year Director of the medical education of the state Dr SK Singh proposed the health department to make RIMS Ranchi a Disability Certification Centre for the handicapped quota students to avoid all confusion and controversy over the certificates.
Dr Singh even held a meeting with JCECEB chairman Amrendra Pratap Singh over it. But the proposal is still under consideration by the health department.
“Yes, I had given a proposal to the health department. But this year too, the Civil Surgeon Office Medical Board would issue the certificate. It is not necessary that confusion which appeared over the certificate of some students would crop up again,” said director Dr Singh.
As per the merit list of students issued by the Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (JCECEB) for admission in five medical colleges of the state, 35 candidates have been selected on the quota of different disability persons.
Barring RIMS Ranchi, other medical colleges, including MGMMCH Jamshedpur, SNMMCH Dhanbad, PJMCH Dumka, SBMCH Hazaribag and MMCH Palamu have a diagnostic certificate to verify the certificate, issued by the Civil Surgeon Office Medical Board.
An unpleasant situation appeared last year when a medical college of the state returned a student on suspected disability certificate grounds.
Interestingly, the JCECEB sent the name of students for admission thrice (after the first, second counselling and mop-up rounds), notwithstanding it the college did not take admission.
As per the list of 35 disability quota candidates sent by JCECEB for admission this session, both the students who were denied admission on the suspected certificate of Civil Surgeon last year, are again qualified for enrollment.
