Tamil Nadu's Health Minister Ma Subramanian met his counterpart in the Centre, Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi, on Friday, January 6, and sought the Union government’s support in getting assent to the anti-National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Bill passed by the state. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Subramanian said, the union minister listened to the request carefully and assured that he would consider it. Subramanian also requested the centre to surrender vacant MBBS seats under the All India Quota (AIQ) back to the state, as six MBBS seats are left unfilled this year.
Last year, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed its anti-NEET Bill seeking exemption from the medical entrance exam in the state. Tamil Nadu has staunchly opposed NEET, stating that it encourages a coaching culture and puts pressure on students.
AIIMS in Madurai
Subramanian quoted Mandaviya as saying, a team should be formed to appoint consultants and prepare a building plan for the construction of AIIMS in Madurai. “Next week the tender for it will be finished and the work will start soon. The union minister said the feasibility of AIIMS in Coimbatore could be looked at once the construction works of the facility in Madurai begins,” he said.
FMGs, NExT also discussed
Subramanian also took on the issue of foreign medical graduates and requested Mandaviya to enable the students of Ukraine medical colleges to continue their studies in Indian medical colleges. The NMC has denied multiple requests from these students to be accommodated in Indian medical colleges and has also prohibited states from doing that. The state also expressed its objection to the draft postgraduate medical education regulations that were recently circulated for public opinion. These draft regulations propose to replace NEET PG and FMGE with a single licentiate and entrance test called National Exit Test (NExT), to be conducted in two steps from 2024.
