At an age when people remember their unfinished dreams, a retired bank official from Odisha stepped forward and tried to achieve his ambition of becoming a doctor.
Jay Kishore Pradhan, a 64-year-old retired banking official from Atabira in the Bargarh district of Odisha, enrolled in the Veer Surendra Sai Medical Sciences and Research Institute (VIMSAR), a government-run medical school for the MBBS course after passing the NEET exam course.
Pradhan, who retired as deputy head of the State Bank of India, said he wrote the NEET exam to achieve his unfinished dream of becoming a doctor.
“I appeared on the medical entrance exam after my intermediate exam, but I couldn’t figure it out. later I followed my bachelor of science. However, I always wanted to give medical admission another chance and started preparing for 2016 after I retired from the bank, ”said Pradhan, who gained admission to the MBBS course with a quota of students with physical disabilities.
Although 25 years old is the upper age limit for the NEET exam, a court order petition filed with SC in 2018 helped Pradhan take another chance at the medical entrance exam. As the case is sub-judice, NEET has allowed all candidates over the age of 25 to take admission subject to the outcome of the case.
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VIMSAR Director Professor Lalit Meher said Pradhan is the oldest student to enter medical school. “It is one of the rare events in the history of medical education. He has certainly set an example by being admitted as a medical student at that age, ”Meher said.
After starting his job, Pradhan wanted to retry the MBBS entrance exam by quitting his job. “But we were five brothers and my family responsibilities did not allow me to leave work at that time,” Pradhan said.
The father of two twin daughters and a son, Pradhan wanted to retry the exam when his daughter was preparing for her medical entrance exam in 2016. “I was helping her with her preparation and I wondered if I can teach her why she can do it.” t I write the test again. My wife Pratibha, who is a pharmacist, also encouraged me, ”Pradhan said. One of his daughters is now a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student while the other, also a BDS student, passed away on November 20. Pradhan’s son is now studying at Std 10.
Pradhan is not concerned about the high cost of medical education over the next decade. “I have deposited 30,000 rupees. Even though I know that I can’t get a job, I would try to help people by offering them free treatment, ”he said.
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