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Friday, July 31, 2026

No promotion, no pay rise: TN’s super specialty seats go begging

31.07.2026

Chennai: Govt doctors in Tamil Nadu are shunning super specialty training because the additional qualification brings no assured promotion, salary increase or posting in whichever field they train in, doctors’ associations said, leaving the state with hundreds of unfilled seats in disciplines critical to public hospitals.

Supreme Court this week directed Tamil Nadu to surrender 151 unfilled super specialty seats to the Directorate General of Health Services, triggering a political tug-of-war. While DMK accused the govt of failing to defend the seats, the ruling TVK said the order protects the state’s claim if cut-offs are lowered. But doctors’ bodies say the deeper question remains unanswered: why would a govt doctor spend years in advanced training if the job that follows does not change?

Records show that 119 seats in 2024 and 145 seats in 2025 were surrendered to All India Quota during the previous regime. “We are an army of more than 20,000 doctors. If seats are vacant, it is because the govt has failed to expand specialist care in govt hospitals,” said Service Doctors and Post Graduate Association general secretary A Ramalingam.

Doctors who complete a DM or MCh course say the state does not consistently reward that training through promotions, adequate pay rises or appointments in their specialty. Tamil Nadu Govt Doctors Association, welcoming SC judgment, said the govt must increase at least 350 super specialty seats if it wants to place doctors where they are needed. “We must have a wide range of specialists in all medical colleges.

Without opportunities, it will be difficult to encourage govt doctors to study further,” said association state president A Srinivasan. Beyond pay and postings, mid-career doctors are also bound by service rules mandating them to remain in govt employment until retirement. Specialists in some branches say the workload is high, the risks are greater, and the incentives are too modest.

TN Medical Officers Association said the loss of seats would eventually weaken public hospitals. “These posts and facilities are created by the state with taxpayers’ money. The quota exists because service doctors will serve in govt hospitals until superannuation,” said general secretary M Akilan.

Thursday, July 30, 2026

NEET SS 2025 counselling deadlock ends as MCC prepares revised Round 2 schedule after SC verdict

TOI Education | Jul 29, 2026, 10.12 AM IST

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to announce the revised schedule for NEET SS 2025 Round 2 counselling soon after the Supreme Court directed the restoration of 151 vacant Super Speciality medical seats to the central pool. The order has ended the long-pending dispute involving Tamil Nadu’s in-service seats under the All India Quota (AIQ) framework. The apex court has instructed that the remaining counselling process must be completed within two weeks.

The decision has brought relief to thousands of candidates waiting for admission to Doctor of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) programmes. Supreme Court order clears Round 2 counselling delay The NEET SS 2025 Round 2 counselling process was stalled after a legal dispute involving the case Tamilvani & Others vs State of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu had filed a review petition seeking to retain 151 vacant in-service Super Speciality seats instead of returning them to the central counselling pool.

On July 29, 2026, the Supreme Court dismissed the delay attempts and directed the restoration of all 151 seats. The MCC will now have to complete the pending counselling stages within the fixed 14-day timeline. 3

NEET SS 2025 Round 2 counselling timeline Event Original timeline Current status Round 1 counselling March 10 to March 25, 2026 Completed

Round 2 registration March 28, 2026 Portal reopened until further orders

Round 2 choice filling April 2026 Paused and expected to resume Seat matrix changes April 2026 18 seats added, 1 seat removed; 151 seats now restored Seat allotment result Not announced Expected shortly Reporting and counselling closure Postponed To be completed within two weeks as per Supreme Court order 151 DM and MCh seats added to central poolThe restoration of 151 seats will significantly change the Round 2 seat matrix. These seats include highly competitive Super Speciality courses such as DM and MCh programmes.

Candidates who had already completed choice filling may need to review their preferences after the updated seat matrix is published. MCC is expected to release revised counselling details through an official notification on the Super Speciality counselling portal. Auto-upgradation rule applies in Round 2 MCC has introduced automatic upgradation for this counselling round. Candidates who participated in Round 1 will be considered for better seat allocation in Round 2, irrespective of whether they submitted an upgradation willingness form earlier.

If a candidate does not receive an upgraded seat, their Round 1 allotted seat will remain protected according to the counselling rules. Medical bodies welcome Supreme Court decision Medical organisations, including the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), have welcomed the Supreme Court directive. The organisation highlighted that delays in Super Speciality admissions affected the career progression of specialist doctors and created challenges for healthcare institutions. What candidates should do next Candidates should regularly check the official MCC Super Speciality counselling portal for the revised PDF schedule and avoid relying on unverified social media updates. Aspirants should keep documents including the NEET SS admit card, scorecard, academic certificates and state medical registration documents ready for verification once the updated counselling schedule is released.