CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association (TNMOA), which had earlier petitioned the Supreme Court seeking to stop the state government from surrendering 151 vacant DM/MCh super-speciality (SS) seats earmarked for government doctors to the All India Quota (AIQ), has expressed “deep anguish, disappointment and strong dissatisfaction” with both the union and state governments after the court ordered the surrender on Tuesday. The association blamed the outcome on what it called the state government’s negligence and lack of seriousness in handling the case.
“It is entirely the result of the legal and administrative failure of the state government. It reflects not only a failure to protect the rights of government doctors but also a serious lack of commitment towards safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s public healthcare system and its future super-speciality services,” the TNMOA said.
Dr M Akilan, state general secretary, TNMOA, said the issue went beyond seats reserved for government doctors. “It is a public health issue,” he said. Akilan added the government had engaged senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi for the contempt petition filed against it, and that the health secretary had issued orders appointing Singhvi and another senior advocate Prashant to appear at the hearing.
Neither of the senior advocates turned up, he said, leaving the court searching for senior counsel to answer the bench’s questions.
Akilan also pointed to earlier judgments which recognised the state’s authority to regulate medical admissions and provide a separate channel for in-service candidates, and upholding 50% reservation for in-service government doctors to say that despite these precedents, the state failed to press the argument that the 151 seats form Tamil Nadu’s exclusive in-service quota and cannot be legally diverted to the AIQ.
At an earlier hearing two weeks ago, Justice BV Nagarathna had made the oral observation, “How can government doctors, who are simultaneously discharging their official duties, compete with candidates who prepare for the NEET examination from the comfort of their homes?” Akilan said the state, however, failed to build on it with strong arguments on Tuesday.
In its order, the Supreme Court had said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) can complete second round of counselling with the existing percentile of marks. After the second round of counselling, if cut-off percentile is reduced, then 50% of such seats should be reverted to Tamil Nadu.