The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has invited applications from children of COVID warriors for MBBS and BDS admission through a notification on its official website mcc.nic.in.

Candidates who have qualified NEET and meet the required eligibility criteria will have to send application forms, along with all supporting documents to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) or Directorate Health Services (DHS), who will then forward to MCC for allotment as per NEET merit list.

As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, “Covid Warriors means Public healthcare providers including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and who may be at risk of being impacted by this.”

“Private hospital staff and retired/volunteer/local urban bodies/contractual/daily wage/ad-hoc/outsourced staff requisitioned by States/Central hospitals/autonomous hospitals of Central/States/UTs, AIIMS and INIs/Hospitals of Central Ministries drafted for COVID-19 related responsibilities are also included.”

Here is the direct link to the MCC notification on children of COVID warrior quota.

Candidates will be required to state their preference for medical colleges. Under this quota, five seats (one each) are available in these medical colleges:

  1. Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi (for girls only)
  2. MGMS, Wardha, Maharashtra
  3. NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh
  4. JLN Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan
  5. Government Medical College, Haldwani, Uttarakhand

In November, the government approved the inclusion of the new quota in the central pool of MBBS, BDS seats, according to an NDTV report. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while announcing the government’s decision, said that this move aims to honor the noble contribution made by the COVID Warriors in the treatment and management of COVID patients.

“This will honor the Solemn Sacrifice of all COVID warriors who served with selfless dedication for the cause of duty and humanity,” the minister was quoted saying in the report.

MCC is responsible for conducting counselling under the NEET UG exam for 15% of all-India quota seats, Institutional Quota/ Domicile (internal candidates) of Central Universities (Aligarh Muslim University/ Banaras Hindu University/ University of Delhi/Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi), (wards of ESIC insured persons) seats of colleges under Employee State Insurance Corporation and Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.