SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 1: On the national pattern, the Jharkhand health department has made Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) a Nodal Centre to issue handicapped certificates to candidates for admission in MBBS courses on disability quota.
On August 29, the state health department issued a notification assigning RIMS to screen and issue handicap certificates to candidates with disabilities from the current academic session.
At present, the second round of admission in state medical colleges is under progress and candidates under the handicapped quota are required to take a certificate from RIMS.
Till date, only the Civil Surgeons of all 24 districts were empowered to issue handicapped certificates to the candidates for admission on reserved seats in the medical colleges which sometimes triggers suspicion and confusion among admission in-charges.
In Jharkhand, 35 MBBS seats are reserved for handicapped candidates in the state government owned medical colleges.
Last year (2022-23 academic session) due to suspicion on a certificate issued by a Civil Surgeon two reserved seats of handicapped quota (one at Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital Dhanbad and the second at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College Hospital Hazaribagh) in Jharkhand remained vacant.
Even MGMMCH Jamshedpur, PJMCH Dumka and MMCH Palamu faced similar problems in accepting the certificate of the Civil Surgeon’s office.
Civil Surgeon offices in all 24 districts lack proper diagnostic machine to determine the authenticity of handicapped candidate’s claim and sometimes fake candidate manages to take certificate for quota seat.
Rattled by the controversy over a certificate issued by the Civil Surgeon office to an undeserving candidate, the director of the medical education wing Dr SK Singh had even given a proposal to the state health department for making RIMS Ranchi the Nodal Centre for screening and issuing certificates for handicapped quota to avoid all confusion and controversy.
He even met JCECEB chairman Amrendra Pratap Singh over the issue. Finally, the health department has made RIMS the Nodal Centre.
“Now all controversy and confusion over the certificate of handicapped candidates would be finished forever by making RIMS Ranchi as the Nodal Centre in place of Civil Surgeon’s office,” said Dr Ganesh Kumar, admission in-charge of SNMMCH Dhanbad when contacted today.
At the national level, the National Medical Commission has recognized 16 institutions in the country to issue certificates to handicapped candidates for all India quota.
