Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma. Subramanian on Tuesday urged the Union government to get the President’s assent for the State’s Bill on exemption from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
He was in Delhi to meet the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare (HFW) and the Minister for AYUSH.
Addressing the media there, he said he met with the Secretary of the HFW Department and reiterated the Tamil Nadu government’s demand on NEET exemption.
Mr. Subramanian said he urged the Union government to expedite the construction of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Madurai.
“Though the foundation stone was laid in 2019, only the compound wall has been constructed till now. The 50 students admitted are now studying on the campus of the Government Medical College in Ramanathapuram,” he said.
He requested the Union government to sanction another AIIMS hospital in Coimbatore. “The Secretary has asked for a detailed proposal in this regard. We will be sending it soon,” he said.
Plea for colleges
On behalf of the State government, the Minister requested approval for starting six additional medical colleges in districts that did not have one. “Perambalur, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tenkasi, Kancheepuram and Mayiladuthurai districts do not have a medical college. The policy of the Tamil Nadu government is to have at least one college in each district,” he said.
Mr. Subramanian met Union Minister for AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal and appealed to him to create an All India Institute of Siddha Medicine, similar to AIIMS, in Tamil Nadu.
Pointing out that many buildings in the Government Homeopathy College in Tirumangalam, Madurai, were in an unusable state due to frequent inundation during rain, he requested the Union Minister to sanction funds to shift the college to another location.
The Minister also urged the HFW Department to take a swift decision on the future of the medical students who had to return from Ukraine due to the war.
He said 1,890 such students from Tamil Nadu were facing an uncertain future.
