Can money replace merit in medical education?

such as Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. They can also straightway refuse the government quota for admitting students to MBBS and MS/MD courses. This will have a cascading effect on other institutions and the government will have no justification in adopting two yardsticks. Eventually, meritorious students will have nowhere to go and they will be made to suffer.

MAKING ENOUGH MONEY ALREADY

The health minister’s justification that medical colleges have to be made financially viable lacks reason and logic. It simply cannot be done at the cost of merit and meritorious students. In order to ensure their financial viability, these colleges have already been allowed 50% management quota, which includes 15% non-resident Indians (NRI) quota. It is no secret that the managements of these institutions make enough money through the already allotted management quota. This arrangement had been carefully thought out before it was introduced. If the medical institutions are allowed a complete sway over admissions where is the role of the governing bodies and the government? Unfortunately, the Punjab government is abdicating its power and responsibility over admissions in private colleges.

Mohindra’s argument that the two private medical colleges – Gian Sagar Medical College and Chintpurni Medical College – shut down due to financial crisis doesn’t hold good. The fact is that both colleges failed not due to lack of financial resources, but because of the overall mismanagement. If the management of a medical college finds it difficult to run the institution, it should better shut down rather than resort to illegal and unethical practices with the open connivance of the government.

MCI SHOULD STEP IN

One expects the governments, particularly the one led by Capt Amarinder Singh, to ensure fair play and not support and justify unfair means, which some medical colleges have started resorting to. Hopefully, the Medical Council of India should take note of it and stop the government from conniving with medical colleges.

Medical education and the health services in Punjab need an overhaul. But allowing private medical colleges a free run does not indicate any such intentions of the government. It rather reflects poorly on the government that instead of taking measures to improve the system has succumbed and submitted to the unjustified and unlawful demands of the managements of some private medical colleges. In case these institutions are cash-starved, the government should help the students with soft and longterm loans or subsidies.

Money should not be allowed to replace merit. That, in the long run, will play havoc with the health system.