Mumbai: New transfer norms lands medical students in soup

The sudden last-minute change in the procedure of availing transfer from one college to another has left several first-year MBBS students in the soup. While the transfer procedure is already delayed, the new brochures have a completely different eligibility criterion.

Any student, after completing the first year of MBBS, is allowed to apply for transfer to a different college and it is granted on the basis of merit of the student and vacancy in other colleges.

Traditionally, the practice was based on three criteria - first, if the student is a topper and wants to shift to another college; second if the student is suffering from a serious illness and needs a college near his/her home and third, if a student's parent passes away, then he/she can apply for transfer to a college near his/her residence.

But, the new brochure does not have any of these criteria. Instead, it has only one criterion, if a student can medically certify that he/she is 40 per cent physically challenged only then can they opt for the transfer.

"If any student is physically challenged, he/she would already have taken it into consideration while taking admission in the first year. There will hardly be any student who would want to seek a transfer in the second year," a student said.

Sudha Shenoy, a parent activist said, "The authorities cannot make such last-minute changes. There is no opposition to the regulation per se, but this should be applicable for the new batch so they can consider this while confirming their admission in the first year itself."

The director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Mumbai (DMER), Dr TP Lahane could not be reached for comment.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates