Tamil Nadu cannot apply for more medical colleges, doctor to population ratio higher than needed

The National Commission of Medicine has disallowed the State of Tamil Nadu from adding more medical colleges. The rationale for this is supposedly that the NCM wants to maintain a ratio of 100 MBBS medical seats for every 1 crore people in the state. It has also established a cap for the total number of medical seats at 150 per college. This rule would be in effect starting from the year 2024-25. 

“TN has more than 1.8 lakh doctors registered in Tamil Nadu and among them, 1.5 lakh are still practising. The recommended ratio of doctors is only 1:1000 and we already have 1 per 600,” Dr K Senthil president of the TN Government Doctors' Association stated as per a report in Times of India. 

“In ten years, TN will have 1 doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence,” he added. 

Tamil Nadu health secretary Gagadeep Singh Bedi had reservations on the bill. “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,” he said in an interaction with The Times Of India.