Pvt medical colleges push for increase in seats
The Association of Private Medical Colleges said it will approach the state government, urging it to request the National Medical Commission (NMC) to allow an increase in the intake capacity.
'We are not against EWS reservation,' said Kamal Kishore Kadam, chancellor and trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Mission Medical College, and a senior member of the association. 'But if the government is implementing the quota, then as per the Supreme Court's 2019 ruling, it must also increase the total intake by 25%.'
While the introduction of the reservation has already been implemented in government and aided institutions, there was no formal announcement for private medical colleges. Instead, the new quota – 10% of the seats in the open category – came to light when students and their parents noticed its mention in the admission brochure released by the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) cell on Wednesday.
Kadam pointed out that when the EWS quota was introduced in government medical colleges, the seat capacity was increased accordingly. 'We welcome students from the EWS category to get quality education in private institutions as well,' he added. 'But we need the government to follow the court's guidelines. We are aware that increasing intake is under the NMC's jurisdiction, but we are urging the state to take up the matter with the commission.'
Brijesh Sutaria, a parent representative, pointed out that EWS students already receive financial support under state schemes – 50% fee reimbursement for boys and 100% for girls. Implementing the new quota without increasing seat capacity will shrink the already limited pool of general merit seats in private medical colleges, Sutaria said.
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