Sunday, December 26 2004 19:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest peer body of medicos in the country would back the cause of the 69 NRI students whose admission into two State-run medical colleges of West Bengal was scrapped by a Supreme Court order by pleading with the Medical Council of India (MCI) to take up a 'humanitarian stand'.

The IMA would bring up the issue for discussion at its three-day 79th annual conference beginning in Bhubaneswar tomorrow (Dec 27, 2004), the Association's newly elected national president Sudipto Roy told newspersons here today (Dec 26, 2004).

'I would personally talk to the MCI and ask them to take a humanitarian stand on the issue of admission of these students, who have been denied entry into the medical colleges for no fault of theirs', Roy said.

The students had resorted to a hunger strike after the Supreme Court scrapped their admission to the SSKM and Midnapore Medical College in the State some time back.

The students have also declined offers of studying another allied course at the West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) or chose from medicine courses offered by colleges in China, Russia and Nepal.

They have been demanding entry into another medical college recognised by the MCI in any part of the country.