Bhubaneswar, June 24: The Medical Council of India has decided not to allow the Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital and Research Centre at Jaring to admit 100 MBBS students for the current academic session.

The college, which got recognition in 2013, has 100 students on its roll, but for the coming academic calendar, it has been asked not to enrol students due to lack of proper infrastructure.

This year, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has reduced in take of students from 250 to 150 at the SCB Medical College, Cuttack, and has refused to increase 100 seats each at VSS Medical College and MKCG Medical College and Hospital.

The counselling for the medical seats begun today. About 35,000 students from the state, who had appeared for the All-India Pre-Medical/ Pre-Dental Test (AIPMT), will vie for 800 seats including 650 MBBS seats and 150 BDS seats. This brings candidates per seat ratio to 45:1

“It’s unfortunate that 200 medical seats have been slashed which is a serious issue. This is my third attempt and it looks even more difficult this time,” said Bijayeeta Mishra with state rank 1,703.

“My son has been preparing day and night for the entrance. He even let go a placement from a reputed software company that was offered at his college. We are not financially sound to afford an MBBS in a private medical college and so, this news about fewer seats this year has kept us all worried,” said Mayadhar Patnaik, parent of a medical aspirant.

The candidates have been left with even fewer chances this year after the director medical education and training (DMET) announced that counselling would not be held for Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital and Research Center at Jaring

“SCB Medical College and Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital and Research have already complied with the requirements of the MCI, but there has been no communication about the seats from the council so far,” said joint director, medical education and training. Umakant Satapathy.

“In case the MCI allows us for the seats, we will be holding another round of counselling. There is an upgradation method under which the students will be allowed to change the institution of their choice,” said Satpathy.

The online registration for undergraduate medical and dental admissions in the state commenced today and will continue till tomorrow. The counselling used to be done by OJEE.

However, the DMET decided to conduct the counselling as it was getting delayed, said authorities at the DMET. The state government is already running behind the schedule set by the MCI according to which the counselling was supposed to be over by June 25

“We felt that the OJEE was too overloaded with other admissions especially the engineering. It had in fact not even procured the required documents from the CBSE. Also as per the rules of the MCI, the classes for MBBS course should begin on September 1,” said the official.

Expressing the process of registration Sathpathy said that students, who have qualified the AIPMT, can register themselves in the DMET website (http://www.dmetodisha.gov.in). Document verification of the registered candidates will be done from June 26 to June 28 in the three government medical colleges — SCB Medical College, Cuttack, MKCG Medical College, Berhampur and VSS Medical College, Burla. The admission process will be completed by July 3.

Students can go to their nearest medical college for counselling where officials from the DMET have been designated.

While 85 per cent seats are available under the state quota (admissions would be through state merit list of AIPMT), admissions for the rest 15 per cent seats would be from the AIPMT national merit list.