It looks like God’s Own Country has much more than scenic beauty to offer. The All India NEET PG Medical Entrance Exam 2017 results came out on last Friday, and the first three places were bagged by three brilliant natives of Kerala.

Dr. Shabnam Safeer from Trivandrum Medical College has bagged the first rank. She shares the happy news from Pondicherry where she is doing her PG in General Medicine at JIPMER, one among the top five medical colleges in the country. Having scored 19th rank in the JIPMER entrance exam, she joined the college just a week ago. Though she shared her happiness about securing the first rank, she is interested in continuing her studies at JIPMER itself. She spent a year in the Capital city of Delhi preparing for the exam, and she said that she used to study for 12 hours a day on an average. She is very excited that all the hard work has paid off.

The second rank was secured by Dr. Manuraj N, a native of the beautiful village of Palakkad. He did his undergraduate studies from Thrissur Medical College. Passionate about internal medicine all along, he has always been an astute clinician. More than memorising facts, developing a strong insight into the subject is what is crucial, he says. A 2nd rank is not all, he has more to boast about. A 6th rank in UPSC, 16th rank in JIPMER and a 164th rank in AIIMS – talk about aiming for the stars! Dr. Manuraj is also pursuing his PG in General Medicine in JIPMER, but currently he is considering returning to his homeland. A dream of serving the villages has always kept him driven to be a better doctor.

Dr. Aleena Elizabeth, the proud third rank holder, is also a student of Thrissur Medical College. The fact that she achieved such a marvellous feat in her first attempt itself is notable. Consistently a top-performer throughout her MBBS days, she says a strong foundation in the basic subjects helped her a great deal in her endeavour. Her parents, both teaching doctors in the same college, have played a considerable role in moulding her ambition. She is fascinated by the field of Radiology, and looks forward to pursue her PG in the field. Apart from that, she is also a good singer.

When asked, they all agreed on one thing-if you want to take a step higher, first be on a firm ground. In their words – “Start building a stronger base from the undergrad years itself!”

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