100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population: TN CM Urges PM Modi to Put NMC Notification on Hold

Chennai: The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin has now come forward to express his strong opposition to the newly introduced rules by the National Medical Commission (NMC), which prescribed that a State/UT should not have more than 100 MBBS seats/10 lakh population.

In a Demi-Official letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, copies of which were released to the media, Stalin pointed out that the NMC notification restricting the opening of new medical colleges has created a regressive scenario and it might be legally untenable, adds UNI.

Urging the PM to keep it in abeyance, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu further requested him to initiate a consultation process with the State government to address the matter.

"I wish to draw your kind attention to the regressive scenario created by the recent notification issued by the NMC to restrict the opening of new medical colleges. It has been notified by the NMC that after the academic year 2023-2024, the Letter of Permission for starting new medical colleges shall be issued only for an annual intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats, provided that the medical college shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that State/ UT," Stalin said.

This is a "direct encroachment" on the rights of all State governments and penalisation of those who have invested more in their public health infrastructure over the years, the CM said.

Also Read: Karnataka Opposes NMC Rule of 100 MBBS Seats for 10 Lakh Population Ratio

PTI adds that he further said progressive states like Tamil Nadu have been strengthening their tertiary healthcare network for many decades, leading to ample availability of doctors and nurses, which he said has manifested in their better performance in terms of various health indicators.

"Chennai has emerged as the healthcare capital of India. In both public and private sectors, our skilled medical professionals have been able to successfully serve not only the people of Tamil Nadu but also of other states as well as other nations. This has generated a huge demand for quality health services and new institutions are absolutely necessary for us to cater to it in the future," Stalin added.

"The criterion proposed for such restriction, higher doctor-population ratio at the state level as compared to the norms, is also not appropriate. Even when there is adequate availability of doctors at the state level, there are districts where their availability continues to be a persistent issue," he said.

The problem can be effectively addressed only by starting new medical colleges in backward areas and any restriction based on state level criteria will deprive these deserving districts of much needed tertiary institutions.

"I would also like to point out the fact that in states like Tamil Nadu which have a higher doctor-population ratio, such high availability of doctors has been achieved predominantly due to investments made by State Governments and the private sector and not by investments made by the Union Government."

"We have been continuously urging that the Union Government needs to contribute more but projects like AIIMS, Madurai are yet to take-off," Stalin said.

Given this situation, a restriction on new institutions will completely eliminate any chance of TN getting new Central investments in health sector. In a recent judgement, the Supreme Court also held that executive instructions could not impose reasonable restrictions on the fundamental right to establish educational institutions under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India.

"Thus, the above NMC notification may also be legally untenable. Considering all the above issues, I request you to instruct the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to keep this notification in abeyance and initiate a consultative process with the State Governments on the steps to address this issue," Stalin told the PM.

"After A.Y. 2023-24, Letter of permission (LOP) for starting of new medical colleges shall be issued only for annual intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats; Provided that medical college shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that state/ U.T.," stated the "Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023", implemented by the National Medical Commission.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that as a result of this new rule, several southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Telangana might lose their eligibility to apply for any new medical college or add more MBBS seats.

Tamil Nadu has a projected population of a little more than 8 crore. Earlier this year, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Parliament about the number of available seats in India and in respective States/UTs. According to the data shared by MoS Health, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of 11,225 MBBS seats in 72 medical colleges. Among these, 5225 MBBS seats are in 38 government medical colleges and altogether 6000 MBBS seats are in 34 private medical colleges.

Therefore, considering the NMC rule regarding the ratio of MBBS seats and the total population, Tamil Nadu is no longer eligible to apply for new medical colleges.

Earlier, the Health Secretary of Tamil Nadu Gagandeep Singh referred to the State's policy of setting up a medical college in every district to ensure equal distribution of doctors and tertiary care facilities and told a leading daily, "Also, why should we look at Tamil Nadu data alone? The country needs more doctors. If Chennai can work well as a medical hub for the rest of India, doctors from here can work in other states too. When we have the facilities and requirements we must be permitted to start new facilities."

Apart from Tamil Nadu, southern States including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh have also expressed opposition to these new NMC rules for setting up new medical colleges. Kerala, on the other hand, has decided to seek relaxation on the basis of specific requirements.

Also Read: After Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh oppose NMC Rule of 100 MBBS Seats for 10 Lakh Population Ratio