Chennai, June 5: A new debate has erupted in Tamil Nadu regarding 152 super specialty medical seats, prompting opposition leader Udayanidhi Stalin to call for immediate intervention from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
Stalin expressed concerns that if these seats are transferred to the All India Quota (AIQ), it would directly impact government doctors and the state’s public health system.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, he referenced the Supreme Court’s order from May 29, which directed the transfer of the state’s 152 vacant super specialty medical seats to the national pool. He accused the state government of failing to effectively represent Tamil Nadu’s interests during the recent hearings, leading to this predicament.
Stalin noted that under NEET 2025, Tamil Nadu had a total of 430 super specialty seats. Of these, 215 were reserved for in-service doctors as per longstanding state policy. However, only 63 seats were filled through regular counseling, leaving 152 seats vacant after the second phase of the process.
Following this, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court requesting the inclusion of these vacant seats in the AIQ. Stalin claimed that during hearings on April 8, 10, and 16, the previous DMK government successfully defended the state’s position and prevented the transfer of seats. However, he argued that the legal strategy weakened after the government changed.
He alleged that during the hearings on May 25 and 29, the lawyer representing Tamil Nadu failed to present crucial legal arguments, particularly regarding the inapplicability of a previous ruling related to N. Karthikeyan, which was cited by the petitioners.
Stalin warned that transferring these seats to the AIQ would diminish opportunities for government doctors to acquire advanced specialties, ultimately affecting the availability of specialist doctors in government hospitals. The affected specialties include cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery.
He urged Chief Minister Vijay to review the state’s legal standing, prevent the transfer of seats to the AIQ, and protect the interests of Tamil Nadu’s government doctors.
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