Kozhikode medical college top choice among MBBS aspirants in Kerala

A study of allotment of seats based on State merit has revealed that top rank holders preferred Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram in the past few years 

The Kozhikode Government Medical College is fast becoming the most preferred medical college for MBBS aspirants in the State, pipping the older Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College.

An analysis of the allotment of seats published by the Office of the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations based on the State merit has revealed that top rank holders preferred Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram in the past few years.

The allotment of MBBS seats in the State merit for 2022 published in October showed that out of the 15 top rank holders in the list, eight chose Kozhikode, while six picked Thiruvananthapuram and one, Kottayam. The first, second, eighth, 10th, 11th, 14th, 16th, and 22nd rank holders preferred Kozhikode while the 13th , 19th, 20th, 21st, 23rd and 24th went for Thiruvananthapuram. The 17th rank holder chose Kottayam.

At the same time, several top rank holders who figured in the State merit have decided to join the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as well as the Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, or medical colleges outside the State.

Same was the pattern followed in the allotment of seats to MBBS last year with top rank holders preferring Kozhikode Medical College. Likewise, the preference is also seen when it comes to allotment of seats in reservation category for Muslim and Ezhava/Thiyya communities.

Parents, students and coaching centres attribute this trend to better facilities and patient load at Kozhikode medical college than Thiruvananthapuram. “Another factor is that more girl students from Malabar, especially from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, prefer Kozhikode,” said Dr. Manoj Kaloor, a physician whose daughter is an MBBS student.

Dr. Sreeraj Rajan, a senior physician and whose son is a fourth-year MBBS student, said students and parents also have a notion that older colleges are better than the newly established institutions. “But the majority are unaware that the faculty at all government medical colleges are appointed by the State,” he said.