The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Anbumani Ramadoss asked Manipal University to reduce the intake of students from 500 to 250 at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal and Mangalore from this year. The result: 250 students now face the vista of losing their medical seats.

In its notification issued on September 29, the Ministry informed the colleges that the last date for the transfer of 250 students is September 30. However, as per schedule, the colleges had already completed admissions for 500 medical seats on June 18, 2008. 

Speaking to media persons here, H S Ballal, pro Vice-Chancellor, Manipal University, said, “At a point in time when the shortage of doctors has assumed critical proportions in the country, these actions have taken us by surprise. Being amongst India’s foremost medical education institutions, we feel singled out by this unfair approach.” 

The ministry had earlier decided to extend the recognition to the KMC institutions till 2013 for their MBBS course.