Faridkot: With NEET-PG delayed, med varsity starts admission to dental PG courses
Faridkot, July 5
After about three months of the National Board of Examinations (NBE) declaring the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test for Masters of Dental Surgery (NEET-MDS) result, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) today started the process to fill 147 state quota seats in the Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) courses across 12 colleges in the state.
The reason for not admitting students on the basis of NEET-MDS result is the postponement of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Postgraduate (NEET-PG) for admissions in MD and MS medical courses as most of the times, the counselling for admissions in MDS, MD and MS courses start simultaneously.
The entrance exam of NEET MDS was conducted on March 18 and the NEET-PG for MD/MS admissions was scheduled to be held on June 22. But 12 hours before the NEET-PG, on June 21 evening, it was postponed. Now, the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on Friday announced fresh dates for the NEET-PG exam to be held on August 11.
As the admissions to MD/MS courses will linger on up to September-October, the dental colleges and students in the state were demanding the BFUHS to make admissions to dental colleges as delay would cause them academic loss.
In Punjab, there are total 12 dental colleges, including two government dental colleges in Amritsar and Patiala, offering 158 seats in MDS courses and these seats include 11 all India quota seats in two government dental colleges. These 11 seats are filled by the Medical Counselling Committee at all India basis.
The reason for not making admission on the basis of NEET-MDS result so far was the postponement of NEET-PG test for admissions in MD and MS medical courses.
As there will be a gap of about five months in NEET-PG and NEET-MDS, it is sheer wastage of precious time for every dentist, rues some students who have approached the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to delink the counselling for MDS and MD/MS courses.
