DMK MLA calls for Restoring Medical Education to State List, Refers to Deterioration of Autonomy

Demanding the re-establishment of federal balance in healthcare administration, DMK MLA and state planning commission member Dr. Ezhilan Naganathan has suggested that medical education be re-reserved in the State List of the Constitution. In a comprehensive report presented to the high-level committee on Centre-State relations, Ezhilan contended that the 1976 transition of medical education to the Concurrent List has substantially eroded state autonomy in health policy and administration.

Unveiling the report on Saturday in front of committee members — retired IAS officer K Ashok Vardhan Shetty and former vice-chairman of the planning commission M Naganathan — Ezhilan pointed to increasing "overt centralisation" in healthcare, particularly following the enactment of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act.

The report emphatically suggested the revocation of the NMC Act and the reinstatement of the Medical Council of India (MCI) as a statutory institution with more state representation. "The NMC undermines the constitutional role of states in regulating medical education, making healthcare governance less participatory and more bureaucratic," Ezhilan said.

He also reaffirmed the DMK's long opposition to NEET as a centralised hurdle which unfairly penalises students of regional boards and those with weaker economic backgrounds.

The report also faulted the increasing trend of Union-funded health programmes overstepping into core state domain. "National health programmes should be co-designed with robust state consultation to make sure equitable distribution of resources and proper implementation," it said.

The suggestions seek to reinstitute a healthier federalism in health administration — one that honors India's states' diversity while maintaining the right to accessible, locally controlled medical education.