: Madras High Court has disposed off petitions challenging a Government Order to include some more hilly/remote and difficult areas with those already notified, entitling government doctors to incentive marks for admission in Post Graduate medical courses for academic year 2017-18.
Justice N Kirubakaran, before whom a batch of petitions challenging the February 8 2017 G.O came up last week disposed them after recording Special Government Pleader T N Rajagopalan's statement that the secretary, Health and Family welfare Department, had taken a decision on March 20 not to implement the G.O to include these areas.
The petitioners submitted that the scheme of the Tamil Nadu Post Graduate Medical Entrance Examination and the state government's selection process was that each candidate is entitled for one mark per year of experience after completing Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) training.
Thus a Doctor who continues his/her private practice after permanent registration of MBBS degree would be awarded one mark per year of practice, subject to a maximum of 10. So marks awarded in the PG entrance exam and this additional mark for experience would be reckoned for a total of 100 Marks.
For service candidates, one additional mark per year was being given for doctors in rural areas and two additional marks per year of service to doctors working in Primary Health Centers/hospitals in hilly areas and remote/difficult areas as an incentive, they said.
A list of hilly areas was already published, they said.
The petitioners submitted that apart from areas already earmarked, the Health Department had on February 8 declared 106 new PHCs and Government Hospitals and medical colleges as remote/difficult areas and hilly areas.
By virtue of this 127 service candidates working in rural and other specified areas would be in a disadvantageous position. Their ranking would be pushed down from the existing range and they would be deprived of the benefit available under the existing scheme of admission, the petitioners said.
Hence the petitioner sought a direction from the Court to quash the G.O..
When the matter came up last week the SGP submitted that a decision not to implement the G.O adding new areas to existing oneS was taken for the academic year 2017-18.
Justice N Kirubakaran who recorded the submission said it was clear that a decision had been taken not to include the new areas for entitlement of incentive marks for admission of Post Graduate Students for the year 2017-18 and it would take care of the interest of the petitioners.
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