Ensure no Medical Seat Remains Vacant: Supreme Court tells Centre
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi: Observing that medical seats cannot remain vacant, the Supreme Court bench has asked the Central Government to hold a meeting with the relevant stakeholders, including the states to resolve the matter.
The issue of vacant medical seats came to light when the Apex Court bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan was informed that the speciality seats in medical courses were being left unfilled raising concerns about the utilization of available resources.
Taking note of this, the top court bench observed, "Seats also cannot go vacant."
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Supreme Court had previously highlighted the importance of filling the super-specialty medical seats back in 2023.
Back then, while lamenting over the vacant super specialty seats, the Apex Court bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Pankaj Mittal had observed in an order dated April 13, "The present petition depicts a very sorry picture that 1,003 precious super specialty seats are going to waste, inasmuch as nobody could be admitted on the said seats. On the one hand, we find that there is always a shortage of super specialty doctors and on the other hand these precious seats remain unfilled."
The Centre had then proposed to appoint a committee, consisting of all the stakeholders including representatives of states and private medical colleges, under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services to find a solution for such a problem.
Recently, the Court was once again informed how specialty seats in medical courses were being left unfilled, which raised concerns about the proper utilization of the available resources in the country, NDTV has reported.
When the bench expressed concern over this, the counsel for the Central Government on Friday informed the bench that a committee comprising the stakeholders was constituted and it had given its recommendations on the issue.
It would be appropriate if the Centre held a meeting with the stakeholders and came out with a concrete proposal, the counsel said.
Taking note of this submission, the bench directed the Central Government to hold a meeting with the relevant stakeholders, including the states, and consider the recommendations of the committee appointed over the issue, PTI has reported.
Further, the Apex Court clarified that the needful be done within three months. The matter has been listed for further hearing in April, 2025.
