Medicine, merit, money and caste: the complexity of medical education in India.

Private medical colleges in India are under the scanner. There is a longstanding debate about the selection methodology that should be followed for admissions in medical colleges. A significant proportion of aspirants are able to afford medical education in private colleges despite not clearing entrance examinations. Others gain entry purely on the basis of caste. Medicine deals with human life and, consequently, there is a widespread feeling that admission criteria in medical schools should be based only on merit as assessed in entrance examinations. This article examines some of these contentious issues.