Another 50 MBBS seats were approved for the Coimbatore Medical College, taking the total number of undergraduate medical seats in the government institutions in Tamil Nadu to 9,150, according to Health Minister Ma. Subramanian.
“The college was started in 1966 with 50 medical seats. Another 50 seats were added in 1968, taking the total intake to 100. In 2004, another 50 seats were approved. After the DMK was elected to power, we sought approval for increase in seats with the Union Health Ministry following which 50 additional seats have been approved for the college,” he told reporters on Friday.
Already, a total of 1,450 seats were permitted in the 11 new government medical colleges in the State.
With this, the total number of medical seats available in the government institutions had increased to 9,150, he said.
Once the Union government issued the notification for admission under the 15% All India Quota, the Tamil Nadu Government would conduct counselling for MBBS admissions, he said.
When asked about the Bill passed against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, he said the Governor was holding consultations with legal experts.
5,000 medical camps
In view of rain-related illnesses, the Minister said that 5,000 medical camps would be held across the State on Saturday. Of these, 750 camps would be held in Chennai.
On Sunday, the mega COVID-19 vaccination camps would be held in 50,000 places in the State. The first dose coverage stood at 72%, while the second dose coverage was 33%, he said. A total of 69 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines were available in the State.
The number of persons who were due to receive the second dose stood at 70 lakh. A line-list of these persons were prepared and it was planned to cover them through the camps, he said.