The Tamil Nadu state health department has sought approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC) to increase the intake of undergraduate medical students by adding 50 seats in each of the 11 medical colleges that were established in 2021. If the NMC grants this approval, it would result in an increase of 550 MBBS seats across 36 government medical colleges in the state, bringing the total number of seats to 5,600 for admissions beginning in the academic year 2025-26.
The decision to increase these seats was based on demand within medical collegesDr. J. Sangumani, director of medical education
On Monday, Dr. J. Sangumani, the director of medical education, emphasized that this seat increase would provide more opportunities for students to pursue medical education at a reasonable cost. He noted that Tamil Nadu is already among the states with the largest number of medical colleges. With the state’s ongoing policy to establish at least one government medical college in every district, it has ensured that public medical institutions are on par with private and self-financed medical colleges in terms of educational standards.
Currently, out of the 76 medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, the health department operates 36, including the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College in KK Nagar and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai, which together offer an additional 200 MBBS seats. The remaining 38 medical colleges consist of private institutions, self-financed colleges, and deemed universities.
In line with its plans to expand medical education infrastructure, the health department has already issued directives to six district collectors to identify suitable land parcels in their regions for the establishment of new medical colleges. According to a senior health department official, the process is currently underway, and once the land is secured and transferred to the health department, applications will be submitted to the NMC for the necessary permissions. However, it is expected that admissions to these new medical colleges will not commence until after 2025.
We have ensured government colleges are equal to private and self-financing medical colleges,Dr. J. Sangumani, director of medical education
In addition to increasing undergraduate seats, Tamil Nadu has also requested permission to introduce 70 postgraduate medical seats across 13 existing medical colleges, covering 23 different specialties. The most sought-after postgraduate courses are anaesthesia and gynaecology, with six seats requested for each of these fields. Following that, four seats have been requested in paediatrics, based on the demand for these specialties within the state’s medical colleges.
Dr. Sangumani explained that the decision to increase both undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats is based on the increasing demand for medical professionals across various specialties in Tamil Nadu. This expansion aims to ensure that more students have access to affordable medical education and help address the growing healthcare needs of the state.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Yash Kamble/MSM)