Tamil Nadu versus Centre again: Restrictions on new medical colleges is fresh flashpoint

This directive, according to Stalin, disproportionately penalises states like Tamil Nadu, which have invested heavily in public health infrastructure.

“Progressive states like Tamil Nadu have been strengthening their tertiary healthcare network for many decades. This has led to ample availability of doctors and nurses, which has manifested in their better performance in terms of various health indicators,” Stalin said, adding that the criterion proposed for such restriction – higher doctor-population ratio at the state level as compared to the norms – is also not appropriate.

“Chennai has emerged as the healthcare capital of India. In both public and private sectors, our skilled medical professionals have been able to successfully serve not only the people of Tamil Nadu but also of other states and nations. This has generated huge demand for quality health services and new institutions are absolutely necessary for us to cater to it in the future,” he said.

According to the new stipulations, regions that have already exceeded the prescribed MBBS seat limit would be barred from opening new medical colleges or expanding existing ones.

“Even when there is adequate availability of doctors at the state level, there are districts where their availability continues to be a persistent issue. This problem can be effectively addressed only by opening new medical colleges in such backward areas. Any restriction on new medical colleges based on state level criteria will deprive these deserving districts of much needed tertiary institutions,” Stalin’s said.

Stalin also cited a recent Supreme Court ruling from September 2022, emphasising that the NMC’s directive might be “legally untenable” as the court had previously determined that states could only enforce reasonable limitations through official legislation, not executive orders. Stalin’s appeal to Modi comes amid heated debates on federal directives, and state autonomy being the central focus of ruling and opposition alliances.

Stalin also pointed out that the onus of Tamil Nadu’s high doctor-population ratio fell largely on the efforts of the state government and the private sector, with limited investment from the Union Government: “We have been continuously urging that the Union Government needs to contribute more but projects like AIIMS Madurai are yet to take off. Given this situation, a restriction on new institutions will completely eliminate any chance of Tamil Nadu getting new investments in health sector by the Union Government in future.”