Health minister K G Arunraj on Saturday said the TVK government would continue to oppose the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and would pass a resolution in the state assembly seeking the Union government to exempt Tamil Nadu from the exam.
Condolence and Stance on NEET
Condoling the recent NEET deaths reported in the state, the minister said, “It is definitely heartbreaking that we have lost two lives for NEET. We were against NEET even before the election and our stance hasn’t changed after the election. We will continue to oppose NEET. We did suggest that medical education be brought under the state list in the governor’s address. For the interim period, when NEET will be conducted, we have the ‘104 helpline’ with trained psychologists to exclusively assist NEET aspirants under stress.”
AIIMS in Coimbatore Region
He said discussions were on with the district administration regarding construction of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Coimbatore region. “I am in the city to review the possibilities of setting up an AIIMS here, check the availability of land and discuss the medical facilities.”
Madurai AIIMS Review
When asked about Madurai AIIMS, the minister said the same was being reviewed and efforts were being made to make some progress. Earlier on the day, the minister took part in the graduation ceremony at Govt ESI Medical College, where nearly 100 students were presented with their graduation certificates. After that, he also took part in the graduation ceremony at Coimbatore Medical College for the 2020-2025 batch. Prohibition and excise minister K Vignesh and backward classes minister V Sampath Kumar also took part as guest of honours at the two events.
Address to Graduating Students
While addressing the graduating students at CMC, the health minister stated that medicine is a noble and deeply respected profession. “If health service is pure, politics is one step ahead and is the purest service. If politics remains pure, every other sector under it, including health services, will remain pure without corruption.”
