Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the suspension of a notification issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) that imposes restrictions on the opening of new medical colleges. Stalin contends that the condition of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population at the state level violates the autonomy of state governments and penalizes states that have invested more in their public health infrastructure. He argues that new medical colleges are essential to address the persistent issue of inadequate availability of doctors in certain districts. Stalin also points out that Tamil Nadu has achieved a higher doctor-population ratio due to investments made by the state government and the private sector, not the Union government. He highlights the delay in projects like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai and expresses concerns that restrictions on new medical colleges would prevent future investments by the Union government in Tamil Nadu’s healthcare sector. Stalin emphasizes that progressive states like Tamil Nadu have significantly strengthened their tertiary healthcare network, resulting in the ample availability of doctors and nurses and better performance on various health indicators. He states that Chennai has become the healthcare capital of India, with medical professionals from Tamil Nadu serving not only the state’s residents but also people from other states and countries. Stalin argues that new institutions are essential to meet the growing demand for quality health services in the future. He cites a recent Supreme Court judgement that held that executive instructions cannot impose reasonable restrictions on the fundamental right of states to establish educational institutions and suggests a consultative process with state governments to address this issue.