Government order against PG quota for government doctors suspended
CHENNAI: The health department has temporarily suspended the government order 151, issued earlier this month, which had done away with the fixed 50% reservation in certain specialities of post-graduate admissions for in-service government doctors and withheld the quota for the academic year 2024-2025.
The decision to keep the G.O. in abeyance until further orders came following backlash from various associations of government doctors in the state.
The health department had, on July 1, issued the order, temporarily suspending reservation for in-service government doctors in PG medical admissions (MD/MS). It had said that instead of the 50% reservation provided at the moment, the number of seats to be reserved under each speciality will be decided every year in a dynamic manner.
It further added that reservation for all specialities except general medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, orthopaedics, forensic medicine, chest medicine,
community medicine and radiology will be kept in abeyance for the academic year 2024-25 and it will be relooked next year based on the existing situation.
The order immediately received criticism from several quarters, with the primary concern being that the dilution of reservation will affect the public health infrastructure in the state and result in shortage of doctors in government hospitals.
Government doctors’ associations have welcomed the latest move. Democratic Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association thanked the chief minister, health minister, and the health secretary for keeping the order in abeyance.
The 50% service reservation in all specialities in Tamil Nadu medical post graduate courses will ensure good speciality treatment for the poor, particularly in rural areas of the state, the Democratic TNGDA said.
Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) thanked the chief minister and other officials for fulfilling their demand.
The reservation for service doctors in Tamil Nadu was disrupted in 2018 when the then Medical Council of India (MCI), now National Medical Commission (NMC), amended the regulations banning such reservations.
Earlier, government doctors had organised protests against the order. Subsequently, the state fought a legal battle and protected the reservation for service doctors.