The PMK alleged that Tamil Nadu lost approximately 700 government quota MBBS seats as six private medical colleges transformed into deemed-to-be universities. This conversion, according to PMK president Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, will notably impact access to affordable medical education for students from economically weaker backgrounds. Notably, institutions like St. Peter’s Medical College, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College, and Srinivasan Medical College in Chennai have already obtained deemed university status, resulting in the reduction of around 350 government quota MBBS seats.
Anbumani further stated that three additional private medical colleges, including Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College in Maduranthakam, are anticipated to receive deemed university status soon, leading to the loss of another 350 government quota seats. This cumulative loss of nearly 700 affordable MBBS seats will affect students admitted through Tamil Nadu’s counselling process. Currently, Tamil Nadu offers about 13,000 MBBS seats, distributed across various categories including government medical colleges, private medical colleges, private universities, deemed universities, and a central government institution.
The PMK leader highlighted that students admitted under the government quota in private colleges pay annual tuition fees ranging from Rs 4.35 lakh to Rs 5.40 lakh. However, with the conversion to deemed universities, the annual fees may escalate to between Rs 23 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, potentially rendering medical education unaffordable for economically disadvantaged families. Anbumani also raised concerns about the legality of granting deemed university status without securing a no-objection certificate from the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, the previous affiliating body.
Advocating for immediate action, Anbumani urged the Tamil Nadu government to establish new government medical colleges in six districts lacking one and proposed an increase of 50 MBBS seats in each of the 16 government medical colleges admitting only 100 students annually. These measures, he emphasized, are crucial to offset the loss of government quota seats and enhance accessibility to affordable medical education.
