Medical seats can’t remain vacant: SC

Holding that seats in medical courses cannot remain vacant, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to hold a meeting with the stakeholders, including the states, to consider the recommendations of a committee that looked into the issue.

“Seats also cannot go vacant,” a Bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan said. The Centre’s counsel said the committee had given its recommendations.

It would be appropriate if the Centre held a meeting with the stakeholders and came out with a concrete proposal, the court said, directing the Centre to hold a meeting.

The Centre had set up a committee, comprising all stakeholders, including representatives of states and private medical colleges, under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services to resolve the issue after the top court in April 2023 highlighted the issue of super-specialty seats in medical courses remaining vacant.

Noting that it would issue the necessary directions in three months, it posted the matter for further hearing in April. The SC had earlier said the plea depicted a “very sorry picture” as 1,003 precious super-specialty seats were going waste as no admissions could take place for these seats.

“On the one hand, we find that there is always a shortage of super-specialty doctors and on the other, these seats remain unfilled,” it had stated.