Why NEET or what ails medical education?

This is the 5th part of “Why Tamil Nadu Opposes NEET” a series of posts on Anitha’s suicide and NEET. It is based on a speech by Mr. Marudhaiyan of People’s Arts and Literature Association (PALA), published in Vinavu.com.  The text of the speech has been translated into English by Nesan. Those who know Tamil can view the videos of speech here.

We publish this in 12 parts with suitable explanatory comments for the benefit those from outside Tamil Nadu.

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When one speaks about Anitha’s death, we should not say ‘we could have been given one year time, two year time. We could have been given waiver,” etc.
We should question the very basis of why NEET was brought about.

Why did they introduce it?

‘Students with less marks, those without merit, become doctors spending lakhs and crores through private medical colleges, thereby degrading the medical profession. Therefore, in order to save this profession, we are bringing such examination. Rich people spoil this field. That is why we introduce it.’

Now, if they wanted to rectify this, what should they have done? If we want to control mosquitoes, we should have controlled the gutters. Now, only because there are private colleges where one can join with a crore rupee, they make use of it. The government could have taken a policy decision not to let the private into medical college. It could have decided that there will only be government colleges and that the seats will only be for those with merit. But it did not do so.

Why?

Why the private colleges were allowed in the first place? They are not there from the ancient times. Private colleges came after privatization and liberalization.

What did they say at the time of allowing them? They claimed that the government colleges allow even merit less students through quota system and meritorious students could not get seats and private colleges will give a chance to meritorious students. That was how the private colleges came. But what is the picture of private colleges?

Upgrading should start from them. Start from Ketan Desai. Start from those private colleges which bribed him. Do it for the complicit ministers like Vijayabaskar. Start your anti-corruption drive from expelling Modi who appointed such criminals as the heads.

There is a college named SVS in Tamilnadu. Two years back, three female students of SVS College were found dead in a well.

When we consider this college, everything is malafide. How that college was given authorization is a big scandal. Its students explained it in TV interviews. They complained several times to MGR Medical University. To get accreditation, students were made to act act as even doctors and patients. But MGR University and health minister have given approval.

The Geetha Lakshmi [Dr MGR University Vice Chancellor] caught in Vijaybaskar’s [Tamil Nadu health minister caught in corruption cases] case is the main accused. What happened to that case?

It is Medical Council of India which recommended NEET. But what is the legitimacy of the Medical Council?

Its chairman was Ketan Desai. Rs 1500 crores in cash and few kgs of gold were seized from his room. How did he get that money? They were given to him for approving the colleges like SVS without proper infrastructure, proper teachers, etc, throughout the country. There is a CBI case, criminal one, on him.

Then what should have been done. He should have been put behind bars. What happened? He was appointed as head of Medical Council of Modi’s Gujarat in 2013-14, even when the criminal case was pending against him. Later Medical Council of Gujarat recommended him for the post of head of World Medical Council. It suppressed information about the criminal case against him.

Such is the legitimacy of the Medical Council’s head. Such is the legitimacy of Vice-chancellors like Geetha Laxshmi.

If we have to upgrade them, what do we do? Impose NEET on Ketan Desais. Do we need NEET for Geetha Laxshmis?

Upgrading should start from them. Start from Ketan Desai. Start from those private colleges which bribed him. Do it for the complicit ministers like Vijayabaskar. Start your anti-corruption drive from expelling Modi who appointed such criminals as the heads.

But they start by giving death sentence to Anitha.

[Continued in 6. What is merit?]