NEET, PG quota: TN's government doctors to hold demonstrations in June 

Come June, government service doctors may stage series of demonstrations, urging the State government to abolish UG-NEET for MBBS and BDS admissions and also restore 50 per cent reservation for government service doctors in PG medical admissions, after only 43 per cent of medical seats were allotted to the service doctors in the first phase of PG medical counselling this year.

According to the selection committee, “In the first phase of counselling,  in all, 999 PG (MD and MS) seats were allotted for government and self-financing colleges; 427 seats were allotted to government service doctors and 572 for non-service doctors. That is, 43 per cent seats were allotted to government service doctors and 57 per cent seats to non-service doctors.

This has disappointed government service doctors. “We will hold various demonstrations from June after our executive council meeting. In the 43 per cent of seats, many government service doctors could get only non-clinical seats and the majority of clinical seats went to non-service doctors. If this is the case, then there will be a shortage of specialists in the public healthcare system, which is already facing a shortage of specialties,” said Dr J Kathirvel, secretary, Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association.

“We seek fulfillment of three demands: Abolition of UG-NEET, restoration of 50 per cent reservation for government service doctors and reservation for service doctors in higher specialties,” added Kathirvel.
In 2017-2018, PG medical course admissions were conducted based on the Medical Council of India’s Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2000, and State’s reservation rules were quashed.

However, the non-service government doctors were happy that the State followed MCI rules properly this year. Dr N Karthikeyan, secretary, Non-Governmental Service Doctors Association, said, “We are happy that non-service doctors could get more seats this year. This is how counselling was conducted in other States, but only in Tamil Nadu, the MCI norms were not followed properly in the last two years. The merit has been upheld this time.”