CHENNAI: Health Minister Ma Subramanian during his visit to Delhi raised the issues of NEET exemption for the state, expediting work for the Madurai AIIMS, a proposal for a new AIIMS in Coimbatore and new primary health centres for the state.
Subramanian met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandavia on Friday along with Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan and Director of Public Health Dr TS Selvavinayagam.
Addressing reporters here on Saturday, Subramanian said Tamil Nadu has not got any new primary health centres in the last three years and he has made requests for constructing at least 25 PHCs. “Student admissions must begin at the 11 medical colleges under construction in the state and vaccination must be allotted as per the state’s population,” he said.
The Health Minister said Tamil Nadu has the capacity to vaccinate two crore people a month. “Since the nine districts on the TN-Kerala border need to get 100 percent coverage, we have placed a request for more vaccines. We have also once again urged the Union government to begin production of COVID vaccine plants at Chengalpet and Coonoor,” he said, adding that the Union Health Minister has assured that the industries departments of the Centre and state would discuss the issue soon.
He said the DMK did not promise to remove NEET the day after coming to power. “We assured that we would put a motion to exempt NEET and fight the issue. The CM would take all measures to remove the exam from TN,” he said. The DMK’s ideology is to remove the exam from the state and the people too are not welcoming the exam after seeing the deaths of 14 students, he said.
Meanwhile, in another press meet in Saidapet, the minister said students are not testing positive in Tamil Nadu because schools are open but those who were already infected have now been tested. “We got reports of positive teachers and students in Ariyalur, Cuddalore and a few other districts. Measures are being taken to stop the spread,” he said.