The Government Order 151, which eliminated the fixed 50% reservation in some specializations of post-graduate admissions for in-service government doctors and withheld the quota for the academic year 2024–2025, has been temporarily halted by the health department. The order was issued earlier this month.
After criticism from several state associations of government doctors, the decision was made to place the G.O. on hold until further instructions were received.
The directive, which temporarily suspended the reservation for in-service government doctors in PG medical admissions (MD/MS), was issued by the health department on July 1. It stated that the number of seats to be reserved under each specialization will be determined annually in a dynamic manner, as opposed to the 50% reservation presently offered.
Additionally, it stated that reservations will be made for all specialties with the exception of general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, forensic medicine, and chest medicine.
For the 2024–2025 academic year, community medicine and radiology will be put on hold. Based on the current situation, they will be reviewed again the following year.
The decree was met with criticism right away from a number of sources, the main one being that the state's public health system would be impacted by the reservation dilution, leading to a shortage of doctors in government hospitals.
The latest move has been applauded by government doctor associations. The chief minister, the health minister, and the health secretary received praise from the Democratic Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association for maintaining the order.
According to the Democratic TNGDA, the state's 50% service reservation policy in all specialties for postgraduate medical students in Tamil Nadu will guarantee the impoverished, especially those living in rural regions, access to quality medical care.
The chief minister and other officials were thanked by the Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) for granting their request.
In 2018, the National Medical Commission (NMC), formerly known as the Medical Council of India (MCI), changed the rules prohibiting service doctor reservations, which caused a disruption in Tamil Nadu.
Government doctors had previously planned protests against the directive. The state then engaged in a legal battle to defend the reserve for service doctors.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)