Tamil Nadu: 305 additional seats for PG courses assented to by MCI

Chennai: The Medical Council of India(MCI), by approving an additional 305 post graduate seats in Government Medical Colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu has given an immense fillip to medical education in the state. This addition accounts for a near 40% increase in the current number.

"This is a big number… These additional seats were added to the matrix for admissions this year," a senior health department official told Express. The State has also applied for additional seats in super-speciality courses. "We are waiting for the approval," the official added.

Out of the 23 government medical colleges in the State, 13 offer PG degree presently.

With a total tally of 1,188 postgraduate medical seats in these colleges last year, 792 seats were for a master degree (Master of Surgery, Doctor of Medicine), while the remaining 396 were diploma seats. An additional increase of 305 PG seats, the number of PG degree seats has gone up to 1,097.

The in-service doctors who were earlier disappointed over loosing 50 per cent reservation in admission to postgraduate degree courses in government colleges following a Madras High Court order, are now feeling rejuvenated as the addition raises the seats that would be allotted to them.

The Madras High Court in a recent directive to the State Health Department to follow the Council Directions for Post graduate admissions; which do not allow a 50% reservation for in service government doctors in admission to post graduate degree courses. Other than those serving in remote and hilly areas.

The court directed that admission to PG degree courses were to be based on NEET results and incentive only to those serving in remote and hilly areas. This led to a month long protest by government doctors across the state.

In an earlier report, the Medical Dialogues team had reported doctors forming a human chain to stage a protest against the Madras High Court scrapping 50% reservation in PG admissions given to in service doctors. Over 300 doctors serving at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, Primary Health Centres, Government Hospitals and other government institutions participated in the human chain. The affected doctors were staging series of protests. Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, Dean S. Ramaguru inaugurated the protest.

Read more at Medical Dialogues: Tamil Nadu: Doctors protest against scrapping of 50% PG in service reservation