Chennai: Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian has urged Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to permit the state to conduct an additional round of counselling to fill 24 vacant super-speciality seats in government medical colleges.
These seats are reserved for in-service candidates, as mandated by the Supreme Court.
In a letter sent to the Union Health Ministry, Ma Subramanian highlighted that 50 per cent of the super-speciality seats in government medical colleges are set aside for in-service candidates, ensuring opportunities for doctors already serving in the public health system.
Despite this, 24 such seats have remained vacant following the recently concluded rounds of counselling. The minister attributed the vacancies to recent changes in the counselling guidelines.
He noted that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notification on June 21 permitting upgradation in the final round of counselling. This change, according to the minister, resulted in some seats falling vacant after the last scheduled round was completed.
“The State Selection Committee has received multiple representations from in-service candidates seeking a further opportunity to compete for these seats. If an additional round of counselling is conducted, we are confident that these vacancies can be filled,” Ma Subramanian stated in his letter.
The minister further requested the Union Health Ministry to allow Tamil Nadu to conduct this additional round of counselling before August 5.
He emphasised that filling these vacancies would strengthen the state’s healthcare infrastructure, as super-speciality doctors trained through this system would continue to serve in government hospitals across Tamil Nadu.
A press release issued by the Health Department said that the extended round of counselling would specifically address the vacancies reserved for in-service candidates, ensuring that no seat remains unutilised.
It also underlined that such measures would be consistent with the Supreme Court’s intent behind the 50 per cent reservation for in-service candidates in super-speciality courses.
Officials in the health department said that a prompt response from the Union Health Ministry was crucial as the counselling schedule for the current academic year was nearing closure. They added that any delay could result in the precious seats going unfilled, depriving deserving in-service candidates of advanced training opportunities.
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