Centre’s suggestions on MBBS admission in AIIMS Madurai must be examined in institute's body meeting, TN informs HC

MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday informed the Madras high court that the three suggestions given by the Centre on temporary arrangements to accommodate 150 MBBS students in AIIMS Madurai has to be examined by the institute's body which is likely to meet on July 16.
In the counter, the health secretary also stated that the state government would examine the proposals subject to feasibility, based on the outcome of the meeting. With regard to commencing outpatient department (OPD) services in a temporary campus, a detailed report would be finalised and the next level meeting would be held on July 16. It is anticipated that the matter would also be discussed in the institute's body meeting.
A division bench of Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice S Ananthi said in the light of the stand taken by the state, the court was deferring hearing in the case till July 26 and directed the state to file a status report in this regard.
During the previous hearing, the secretary of the Union ministry of health and family welfare in the counter affidavit had stated that they were keen on starting services of AIIMS Madurai subject to availability of alternate space for starting MBBS classes and OPD services. The court had requested the state health secretary to consider the stand taken by the Centre as a positive request or a keen willingness to provide OPD services and to start MBBS classes and sought response in this regard.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by K Pushpavanam, a law student in Madurai district, seeking to establish a temporary campus for AIIMS Madurai to provide OPD services and to commence MBBS courses, similar to that provided in other AIIMS in the country.
On July 1, health minister Ma Subramanian while addressing the media persons at Chennai, stated that the state was not comfortable with the three options the Centre had given for accommodating the first batch of students in the Madurai AIIMS till it gets its own building.
He stated that the Centre, in a letter dated June 4, have three options - to send students to the central government’s Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Puducherry or the state could allow students to study at a government medical/arts college in Madurai or to permit admissions in any of the self-financing medical colleges in Madurai.