CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has received the formal nod for 13 additional super-speciality seats for this academic year from the Medical Council of India, taking the total number of such seats in government medical colleges to 202. This is the highest in the country among government institutions.
Government Kilpauk Medical College, which had only one Nephrology seat last year, has been given three more. Madras Medical College, which had three Vascular Surgery seats, has got permission for three more.
Stanley Medical College, which had two seats each in Cardiology and Medicine of Gastroenterology, got two additional seats each.
Also, Thanjavur Medical College, which earlier had only one seat now got approval for three additional seats in Neurology.
Total number of seats last year was 189, of which 82 were Doctorate of Medicine and 107 MCh seats, said G Selvaraj, selection committee secretary.
However, this has not brought any cheer to government doctors, as the Supreme Court in 2015 ordered that seats should be open for students from all States. Tamil Nadu could not retain the seats exclusively for students from the State, as these were to be filled through an all India common medical entrance exam. Since 2015-2016 academic year, seats were thus made open to all.
Earlier, the State used to conduct entrance examinations and only candidates from Tamil Nadu were allotted super-speciality seats. Also, 50 per cent of seats were reserved for government service doctors. Subsequently, the council rules mandated that the seats should be filled only through NEET-SS, which would begin this year.
“Not putting up a strong fight on this was a big mistake. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of super-speciality seats because the State has taken a lot of efforts and spent money to develop infrastructure and faculty, whereas there are states that do not have even a single postgraduate medical seat,” said K Senthil, president of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, arguing against sharing seats with aspirants from other states.
Pointing out that half the seats used to go to government doctors who continue in service till retirement, Senthil said there would not be any super-speciality doctors in the State in the coming years if this continued.
“Through NEET-SS, there is possibility that not even a single seat would go to Tamil candidates. It would be a disincentive for the State from investing so much on development of medical colleges and other facilities if it does not benefit from it,” he said.