Counselling for open category from Friday

CHENNAI: Counselling for MBBS seats in 17 government medical colleges and 10 private colleges for the Open Competition Category is all set to begin in the city on Friday, along with the counselling for BDS seats for the Government Dental College, Chennai. The first phase of counselling will extend till July 6 covering 17 government medical colleges, the Government Dental College, 10 private medical colleges and 17 private dental colleges.
The scramble for nearly 1,600 MBBS seats in the 17 government medical colleges across Tamil Nadu is poised to begin on Friday, while for the BDS course, 85 seats (of the total 100 seats) will be up for grabs. "Ten self financing medical colleges have also agreed to surrender a percentage of their seats for the government quota, but the exact number is not known because we are yet to receive details of their minority status," said Sheela Grace Jeevamani, Secretary, Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education. But there will be at least 150 seats more than the previous year because two new colleges Annapoorna Medical College and Hospital, Salem, and Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur have agreed to share their seats, she added. Seventeen private dental colleges are also said to have surrendered a percentage of their seats for the government quota.For the five days of counselling (no counselling on July 3, Sunday), 350 students have been called for each day with a target of 250 students for the forenoon, and the rest in the afternoon. In all, 1,803 call letters have been issued, she said.