CM opposes NEET for allied and health care courses

CM opposes NEET for allied and health care courses

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin says NEET has forced students to rely on expensive coaching classes.Getty Images

The Hindu Bureau

Chennai  25.01.2026

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday said admission modalities for allied and health care courses (AHCs) fall within the jurisdiction of the State government and that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) should be kept out of these admissions.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the National Commission for Allied and Health Care Professions (NCAHP) making NEET mandatory for admission to two undergraduate degree courses — Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) — had made a “hasty and ad hoc decision” with “multiple deleterious consequences”.

Pointing out that Tamil Nadu had consistently opposed NEET for MBBS admissions and had repeatedly cautioned against the danger of its extension to other courses, Mr. Stalin said the State’s worst apprehensions had now come true. “It is evident from recent communications from the Union Health Ministry that NEET is being prescribed for these two courses as the first step in a larger plan to make it mandatory for all Allied and Health Care Courses in the future. This attempt, being made without due consultation with State Governments — who are constitutionally responsible for both the health and education sectors — is totally unacceptable to us,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said that the introduction of NEET for MBBS admissions had forced 1.4 lakh students to rely on expensive coaching classes and sit for the examination to compete for just 12,000 seats.

“This has created unnecessary costs, stress and anxiety for families, and has rendered performance in school examinations redundant. Extending this flawed model to a wider range of AHCs will only aggravate the situation,” he said. He noted that Tamil Nadu had over 50,000 seats in Allied and Health Care Courses, and lakhs of aspirants for these programmes came from far poorer socio-economic backgrounds than MBBS candidates. “Hence, forcing these families to spend money on NEET coaching would amount to a gross injustice,” he said.

Mr. Stalin said the mandate needed to be reviewed and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) instructed to withdraw the decision immediately. “Given the urgency of the issue, I look forward to your personal intervention,” he added.

Clinical research no longer optional, to be integrated into MBBS, PG medical curriculum: NMC Chief

Clinical research no longer optional, to be integrated into MBBS, PG medical curriculum: NMC Chief 

Written By : MD Bureau Published On 5 Jan 2026 12:45 PM  

New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to integrate clinical research as a core component of medical education, moving it out of the optional category and embedding it into the mainstream clinical curriculum, including assessment and training.

NMC Chairperson and NBEMS President Dr Abhijat Sheth said the decision has been approved in principle by the NMC Board.

A joint committee involving ICMR, IISc, IITs and medical experts will be formed to draft a framework for large-scale integration of clinical research across undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. The initiative is expected to enhance the quality of medical education and foster a stronger culture of clinical research within the medical fraternity.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Abhijat Sheth, Chairperson NMC and President NBEMS said, "Clinical research is an important subject and we realise that it should be integrated into the mainstream part of the clinical medicine rather than optional or side subjects."

Hence, the National Medical Commission has decided that clinical research will be an integral part of clinical medicine, where not only the curriculum, but also curriculum assessment and training will be a part of the medical curriculum, said.

"I am happy to say that recently, the National Medical Commission Board has approved this in principle.Now, we will form a committee with ICMR, with the Indian Institute of Science and Technology and IITs and the experts from the medical fraternity to frame the draft proposal on how we will go for the clinical research on a large scale that includes both, undergraduate as well as postgraduate medical education as well as what ICMR has suggested that they will be very happy to start new PhD courses for clinical research and same also has been expressed by Indian Institute of Science and Technology and few of the Indian Institute of Technologies across India which has already far advanced into innovations and discovery. 

This will be a big advantage in terms of enhancement of quality in the medical education as well as a big advantage to the nation to build up the culture of clinical research amongst the medical fraternity, which is the need of the hour," added Dr Sheth, quotes ANI.

NEET aspirants breathe easy as Court restores 600 withheld MBBS seats

NEET aspirants breathe easy as Court restores 600 withheld MBBS seats

 Ayushi.Gupta1@timesofindia.com 29.09.2025

In a relief to aspirants seeking admission to medical colleges, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has released over 600 seats out of the 1,056 MBBS seats, which were previously withheld due to alleged corruption cases flagged by the CBI in July. The seats have been reinstated after various state High Courts granted interim relief to the institutions concerned. For now, the number of withheld seats is 456, the fate of which will be decided by the NMC when colleges comply with the Minimum Standard Requirements (MSR) 2023 norms.

According to the seat matrix released in September 2025, the NMC had withheld 150 to 200 MBBS seats from several institutions, including Swaminarayan Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (SIMSR) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Delhi. These actions were based on pending court cases and investigations initiated by the CBI. Dr Abhijat Sheth, chairman, NMC, says, “As per the data collected till September 24, there are only 456 withheld seats. This has been done after approval from the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and the MoHFW.” 

The renewal of MBBS seats in four out of six institutions flagged by the CBI regarding corruption was sooner than expected. Dr B Srinivas, deputy director general, Medical Education, MoHFW says, “The NMC has complied with the instructions issued by the respective state High Courts. As the corruption charges against several medical colleges are still under judicial review and have not been proven, the courts have granted interim relief for the current academic year. 

This relief has allowed the colleges to proceed with MBBS admissions for approximately 600 seats, ensuring minimal disruption for aspirants while the legal process continues.” Besides the restoration of withheld seats, the NMC has announced an increase of 7,375 new MBBS seats for the academic year 2025-26. With this expansion, the total number of MBBS seats available nationwide has increased to 1,23,244, up from 1,17,750 in the 2024-25 academic year. The final seat matrix is expected to reflect only 456 withheld seats, a significant reduction from the initial figure