Form team to expedite work on Madurai AIIMS, Health Minister urges Centre

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Friday presented a memorandum to Union Health Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya requesting to form a dedicated team of officers with adequate financial and administrative powers to commence the construction work for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Madurai early.

This was among seven demands raised by the State government in the memorandum. It stated that the foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister on January 27, 2019 and the State government had transferred 222.4 acres of land to the Government of India.

Though two years have lapsed, only a compound wall has come up at the designated site and there has not been any other physical progress in the establishment of the institution. Meanwhile, based on a request from the Executive Director of AIIMS, Madurai, the State government has granted permission to use the premises of Government Medical College, Ramanathapuram to temporarily accommodate 50 students of AIIMS, Madurai from February 2022. Accordingly, students were admitted.

Noting that it was learned that one more AIIMS was sanctioned to States, the Minister, in the memorandum, said, establishing AIIMS in western district or delta district of Tamil Nadu would further enhance the quality of tertiary care in these regions, requesting sanctioning of a second AIIMS to Coimbatore.

He raised the need to exempt TN from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. The State may be allowed to fill all professional seats including MBBS/BDS/AYUSH courses on the basis of class XII marks alone.

Mr. Subramanian sought sanctioning of new government medical colleges in six districts - Ranipet, Tirupattur, Kancheepuram, Perambalur, Tenkasi and Mayiladuthurai - under the centrally sponsored schemes with 60:40 share by Centre and State governments. The approximate cost towards building and equipment for the six colleges would be ₹ 2,400 crore.

The Health Minister registered the objection to the draft Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations that attempted to centralise and designate the Directorate General of Health Services as the designated authority for counselling for State quota seats.

Any hasty attempts, as brought out in the draft regulations, aimed at changing the present methodology of counselling for State quota seats against the provision of the main National Medical Commission (NMC) Act and proposal to make National Exit test as the basis of postgraduate admissions in future, should be immediately stopped. He said that the draft regulations hit at the very root of federalism and requested the Government of India and NMC to drop the proposed draft regulations.

The Minister urged the Union Health Minister to direct the NMC and Union Health Ministry to immediately find a way to enable students of Ukraine medical colleges to continue their studies in medical colleges in India. Since the beginning of the conflict, about 1,890 medical students have returned to Tamil Nadu.