Local medical aspirants of Telangana at risk of losing seats

No clarity by the State government on medical seats.

Hyderabad: Thousands of local medical aspirants from Telangana State are at risk of ending-up on the losing side during the upcoming allocation of medical seats in June, as the State government continues to drag its feet in ensuring 100 per cent reservation under Convenor quota in medical colleges to local students.

With the State health department yet to frame a clear policy on domicile status and give priority by allocating medical seats to local aspirants and the impending completion of State Reorganization Act on June 2, parents and aspirants in Telangana are anxious and fear of getting deprived of their rightful share.

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Before statehood, Telangana region had 20 medical colleges (both private and government) with a total of close to 2, 850 medical seats. Out of which, a total of 1900 medical seats are available under Competent Authority. Based on the present State Reorganization Rules, 15 per cent of the 1900 medical seats, which works out to 280 medical seats, are unreserved, which means aspirants from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh compete for them.

Apart from the risk of losing out these 280 MBBS seats in medical colleges that were established before statehood, if the practice of 15 per cent reservation is extended or implemented in medical colleges that have been established after statehood, then local students will lose out on another 520 MBBS seats.

“It is the responsibility of the Congress Government to ensure aspirations of Telangana students are met. The BRS government in the last decade ensured that Telangana students gain the maximum number of seats. Without delaying further, the Congress government should provide 100 per cent reservation of all medical seats in Convenor quota in all medical colleges of Telangana,” former State Health Minister and senior BRS party leader T Harish Rao, demanded.

According to senior doctors familiar with the issue, in addition to MBBS seats, the local aspirants of Telangana are also likely lose 150 PG medical seats, if the Congress government continued to delay the issue.

To ensure medical seats in new medical colleges are available to local candidates, the earlier BRS government, based on AP Reorganization Act and Article 317 D rules under Telangana Medical/Dental Colleges Admission Rules, ensured that 100 per cent of all medical seats under competent authority were allocated to local Telangana aspirants. As a result, a total of 520 additional MBBS seats were made available to as many aspirants from Telangana.

Before statehood, including government and private medical colleges, there were 20 medical colleges and now the number has gone up to 56 during the BRS regime. As a result, from 2,850 MBBS seats, now the number of medical seats went up to 8,340.