500 additional MBBS seats denied in Tamil Nadu for second year

chennai: tamil nadu has once again been denied permission to add 500 new mbbs seats in its government medical colleges for the current academic year, health department sources confirmed.at present, the state offers 5,200 mbbs seats in 36 government medical colleges, including chennai's kk nagar esi medical college, of which 888 are allotted under the all india quota. additionally, 3,450 seats are available in self-financing colleges and 550 in private medical universities, bringing the total number of mbbs seats in tamil nadu to 9,200.for dental courses, there are 250 bds seats in government colleges and 1,900 in private institutions. the online application process for mbbs and bds admissions has commenced on https://tnmedicalselection.net.each of the ten newly established government medical colleges in the state currently holds only 100 mbbs seats. the directorate of medical education and research had submitted a proposal to the national medical commission (nmc) seeking approval for 50 additional seats per college, totalling 500 new mbbs seats.despite a personal appeal by state health minister ma. subramanian during his recent visit to delhi, the nmc has withheld approval, citing a shortage of qualified faculty and inadequate infrastructure. the commission had earlier issued notices to 35 medical colleges nationwide regarding these concerns.speaking to media, director of medical education and research dr. sangumani said, “we have responded in detail to the nmc's observations, and they have accepted our clarifications. however, no approval has been granted for the additional 500 mbbs seats. admissions will be made only for the currently approved seats.”