Chennai, June 4 (IANS) Tamil Nadu’s Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin has urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to immediately intervene to prevent 152 vacant super-speciality medical seats in the state from being surrendered to the All-India Quota (AIQ), warning that such a move would adversely affect both government doctors and public healthcare services in the state.

In his letter, Udhayanidhi Stalin referred to a Supreme Court order dated May 29 directing that 152 unfilled super-speciality medical seats be transferred to the national pool, alleging that the development occurred because the present TVK-led government failed to effectively defend the state’s position before the apex court during recent hearings.

Giving the background of the issue, the opposition leader noted that Tamil Nadu had a total of 430 super-speciality seats for admission through NEET 2025. Of these, 215 seats were reserved for in-service government doctors under the state’s long-standing policy aimed at strengthening specialist healthcare in government hospitals.

However, only 63 seats were filled through regular counselling, leaving 152 seats vacant after the completion of the second round of admissions. Subsequently, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court by an individual seeking the transfer of the unfilled seats to the All-India Quota.

According to Udhayanidhi Stalin, the then DMK government had successfully defended the state’s stand during hearings held on April 8, 10, and 16, preventing the transfer of the seats. However, he claimed that after the change of government, the state’s legal strategy weakened.

During hearings held on May 25 and May 29, the counsel representing Tamil Nadu allegedly failed to advance crucial arguments, including highlighting that a previous court ruling cited by the petitioner in the N. Karthikeyan case was not applicable to the present dispute.

Udhayanidhi Stalin warned that surrendering the seats would have serious long-term consequences for Tamil Nadu’s healthcare system. He argued that the move would significantly reduce opportunities for in-service government doctors to pursue advanced specialisation and ultimately affect the availability of highly trained specialists in state-run hospitals. The vacant seats reportedly include disciplines such as cardiothoracic surgery, paediatric surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, urology and vascular surgery.

Tamil Nadu currently reserves 50 per cent of its DM and MCh super-speciality seats for in-service candidates to ensure specialist services are available across government medical institutions.

Calling for urgent action, Udhayanidhi Stalin urged the Chief Minister to review the State’s legal position, prevent the transfer of the seats to the AIQ, and safeguard opportunities for government doctors serving in Tamil Nadu’s public health system.

–IANS

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