New Delhi: More than seven years after the Center informed Parliament that it was consulting states on the creation of the All India Medical Service, a proposed national cadre of doctors on the lines of the IAS and IPS, the plan is still under consideration and the Union Health Ministry is still awaiting feedback from states and Union Territories.The proposed service aims to create a dedicated cadre of medical professionals who can serve both the Center and the states on a par with officers of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service.Responding to an RTI application on May 26, 2026, the ministry said the proposal for creation of an All India Medical Service is under consideration and views of the remaining states and union territories have been sought before taking up the matter with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).This proposal has been pending for years. In a reply to the Lok Sabha in December 2018, the Health Ministry had said that a committee constituted for cadre review of the Central Health Service had examined the need for the creation of an All India Medical Service and recommended seeking the views of states before finalizing the proposal.At the time, Goa, Mizoram, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands supported the proposal, while Kerala and Sikkim opposed it. Andhra Pradesh sought a more comprehensive framework to meet the manpower needs in the health sector.The latest RTI response shows that despite years of deliberations, consultations with states are still ongoing and a final decision on the proposed cadre is yet to be taken.Proponents of the proposal argue that a national medical cadre could help strengthen public health administration, improve deployment of specialists, and create a leadership pipeline for the healthcare sector. However, critics have expressed concerns about states’ control over health workers and service conditions.