Chief Minister MK Stalin further noted that Tamil Nadu has more than 50,000 seats in allied and health courses and that thousands of applicants for these programs come from much poorer socio-economic backgrounds than MBBS candidates. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday (Jan 24, 2026) said that the modes of admission to Allied and Health Courses (AHC) are under the jurisdiction of the state government and that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) should be kept out of these entrance exams.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the decision of the National Commission for Allied and Health Professions (NCAHP) to make NEET mandatory for admission to two undergraduate courses – Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) – was a “hasty and ad hoc decision” with “multiple ramifications”.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed NEET for MBBS admissions and has repeatedly warned against the dangers of extending it to other courses, he said the state’s worst fears have now come true.
“It is clear from the recent communications of the Union Health Ministry that NEET is being prescribed for these two courses as the first step in a larger plan to make it mandatory for all allied and healthcare courses in future. This attempt, made without proper consultation with the state governments who are constitutionally responsible for both the health and education sectors, is totally unacceptable to us,” he said.
Expensive NEET coaching courses
The Chief Minister said the introduction of NEET for MBBS admissions has forced 1.4 lakh students to rely on expensive coaching courses and take the exam to compete for just 12,000 seats.
“This has created unnecessary costs, stress and anxiety for families and made school exam performance redundant. Extending this flawed model to a wider range of AHCs will only make matters worse,” he said.
Mr. Stalin further noted that Tamil Nadu has more than 50,000 seats in allied and healthcare courses and thousands of applicants for these programs come from much poorer socio-economic backgrounds than MBBS candidates.
“Therefore, forcing these families to spend money on NEET coaching would be a gross injustice,” he said.
The chief minister said the mandate needed to be reviewed and instructed the National Commission for Allied and Health Professions (NCAHP) to withdraw the decision immediately. “Given the urgency of the matter, I look forward to your personal intervention,” he added.
Published – 24 Jan 2026 19:46 IST
