Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday said that all students from the state who have taken the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will be provided mental health counselling.
The move comes in wake of deaths, by suicide, of three aspirants of NEET-2021.
He said that 1,10,971 students in Tamil Nadu appeared for the exam, and of them, 80 per cent have already spoken to a team of 333 professionals at least once.
The minister said that of these 20 per cent of the students are highly stressed and mental health professionals are regularly monitoring them.
Talking to media persons after inaugurating the third mega vaccination camp in the state at Trichy, he said that the students and parents have to be bolder in their outlook regarding such competitive examinations and should not think that this was the end of the road.
Three NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) aspirants took their lives in Tamil Nadu over fears of failing the exam within a span of one week. The 17-year-old students hailed from Vellore, Salem and Ariyalur. The AK Rajan Commission which studied the impact of NEET on aspirants from the socially disadvantaged sections on medical admissions in Tamil Nadu confirmed that NEET favoured the urban, English-medium educated, CBSE students who could afford coaching. The study report showed the a vast majority of candidates who clear NEET are students who get coached and repeat the exam, putting those students who cannot afford coaching at a disadvantage. Further, coaching centres for NEET have grown to a Rs 5750 cr industry since the introduction of the exam, the study pointed out.
Subramanian also said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had allocated an amount of Rs 21 crore for a Radiology Department and said that the Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation will begin the purchase of the necessary equipment and the department would commence functioning in 30 days time.
He also awarded a token of appreciation to 11 heads of village panchayats in Trichy district for 100 per cent vaccination.
"We have awarded a token of appreciation to 11 village heads in Trichy for successfully vaccinating the whole population in these villages with at least one dose," he said