The Indian government is reportedly considering the implementation of a common counseling process for all MBBS and PG medical seats in the country. This move comes in the wake of the draft Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 proposed by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which aims to standardize medical education and improve the quality of healthcare in India. If implemented, the common counseling process would streamline the admissions process for medical students and ensure that deserving candidates are selected for the available seats. This article will explore the possible implications and challenges of this proposed initiative and analyze its potential impact on the medical education landscape in India.
Presently, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) manages counselling exclusively for 15% of all-India MBBS seats and 50% of PG medical seats, but this may change soon. According to the proposal, the central government will take charge of allotment while the policies and reservation quotas of individual states will remain unaltered. Therefore, the proposed initiative would not modify the existing policies and reservations of states and would only involve the central government as the allotment authority.
According to a Health Ministry official, the common counselling process may be introduced from this year onward if the states consent to participate. In this scenario, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) will be responsible for conducting the common counselling. The official emphasized that while the NMC has proposed the idea of common counselling, it can only be implemented with the voluntary participation of all the states. Therefore, the success of this initiative would depend on the willingness of states to collaborate with the central government.
The draft of the Undergraduate Medical Education Board’s Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023 also includes a proposal for common Counselling. The NMC made this proposal public on February 27, 2023, and requested comments from the public and stakeholders within 30 days. As previously reported, the draft aims to enhance medical education standards and improve the quality of healthcare in India. The proposal for common Counselling is a part of this initiative and aims to streamline the admission process for medical students across the country.
The draft regulations for Graduate Medical Education in the Undergraduate Medical Education Board cover several topics, including the admission, counselling, and migration processes for UG medical admissions. These regulations also discuss the eligibility criteria for NEET UG, the tie-breaking criteria for NEET UG marks, the conduct of NEET UG, and the proposed common counselling process. Additionally, the regulations address the issue of student migration.
The draft regulations state that a common counselling process will be implemented for admission to graduate medical courses. The draft specifically states, “Despite any provisions stated in the current or other NMC regulations, a common counselling process will be conducted for admission to graduate medical courses across all medical institutions in India, based on the merit list of the NEET-UG.”
The draft regulations also stipulate that counselling for graduate medical courses will be based on a seat matrix provided by the National Medical Commission. The draft adds that common counselling may be conducted in multiple rounds, as required. According to the regulations, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) will publish guidelines for the common counselling process, and the designated authority under Section 17 will conduct the counselling in accordance with these guidelines.
The NMC clarified that for the all-India quota seats contributed by the states, the designated authority appointed by the government will be responsible for conducting the common counselling process. Education being a subject on the concurrent list, both the central and state governments are empowered to enact laws in this domain. However, in the past, the introduction of the single entrance test for medical courses, i.e., NEET, was mandated by the judiciary, and several states are still opposing it.
According to a recent article by the Times of India, the Union Government’s proposal for common counselling can only be executed if the State Governments agree to it. The proposal is intended to transfer the allotment authority without altering the policies of the respective states or the reservation quotas.
The Times of India reports that the process of implementing a single exam and single counselling for super-specialty courses is already underway. To ensure that the policies and reservation quotas of the states remain unchanged, the states have been directed to appoint a nodal officer to explain their respective reservation systems and monitor their implementation.
 The Health Ministry official clarified to the Times of India that for the proposed single counselling process, it is necessary for all the states to cooperate and ensure that their respective rules regarding reservation and domicile status are incorporated in the counselling. The official further emphasized that the state quota rules will remain in effect.
The official from the Health Ministry stated that they aim to have representation from each state in the committee to ensure that the quotas of each state are understood and addressed accordingly. The official further mentioned that they plan to implement the process gradually.
The official from the Health Ministry highlighted the benefits of common counselling, stating that currently, a student selects from all-India quota, state quota, and sometimes private colleges, which can result in the blocking of two seats until the final stage of counselling. This may lead to a lower-merit candidate getting selected for the seats.
The official also noted that common counselling brings about the benefit of synchronization. Currently, all states conduct their counselling concurrently, and last year it was delayed by 15 days as some states failed to adhere to the schedule. With a single counselling session, this issue will be resolved, according to the official.
An official from Karnataka who is aware of the matter told TOI that although there are advantages to common counselling, such as providing students with information about courses at deemed universities, there should also be a system in place to verify the credibility of a student’s claimed reservation through a document-verification process held at the state level.
