CHENNAI: How can many deserving candidates afford private hospitals, the Supreme Court wondered while admitting pleas moved by Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association and in-service candidates challenging the move to transfer 152 super-specialty seats earmarked for in-service doctors in the state to all India quota.“There are students sitting at home and studying. In-service is a separate category for admission. How will state doctors working in the public health sector benefit? They can’t sit at home and study,” a division bench of Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed on Wednesday.The observations were made on a plea challenging the proposal to transfer 152 vacant super-specialty seats earmarked for in-service govt doctors in Tamil Nadu to the all-India quota. The petitioner association wanted the court to protect the state’s in-service reservation policy pending a final decision on reduction of the NEET-SS qualifying percentile.Representing the association, senior advocate P Wilson submitted that permitting the 152 vacant in-service seats to be filled through the all-India quota before completion of the second round of all-India quota counselling and before a final decision is taken regarding reduction of the qualifying percentile would cause serious prejudice to in-service govt doctors and adversely impact the public healthcare infrastructure of Tamil Nadu. Pointing out the transfer was consequent of an order passed by the apex court, Wilson said the state govt itself subsequently realised the adverse consequences of such transfer and has filed a review petition before the Supreme Court, which is presently pending consideration.“The very purpose of the in-service reservation policy would be defeated if the seats are permitted to be filled through the all-India quota at this stage,” he said. Recording the submissions, the bench observed that the exparte order of transfer of 152 seats has been passed without hearing the in-service candidates and further observed that ‘a govt doctor, if acquires more skills, will serve public health better than private doctor.’The court then directed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to file its response by July 15.
