Chennai Corporation to recruit 60 doctors for Urban Health Centres
GCC to Fill Doctor Vacancies
Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has announced plans to recruit 60 doctors on a contractual basis to address critical shortage of doctors at Urban Health and Wellness Centres (UHWC) across the city. However, councillors have urged that the appointments be made on a permanent basis rather than temporary contracts.
The Urban Health and Wellness Centres, inaugurated two years ago by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin under the Union Government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme, were intended to enhance primary healthcare delivery in urban areas. Each centre was envisioned to have a full-time doctor, a nurse, and support staff to serve local communities. However, many centres in areas such as Manali, Madhavaram, KK Nagar, and Kodungaiyur still function without doctors, leaving patients to rely on overcrowded primary health centres and government hospitals.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that as many as 500 Urban Health and Wellness Centres (UHWCs), spread across the state, were virtually inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. The UHWCs, intended to function as ancillary units of Urban Primary Health Centres, are located in areas under civic bodies such as corporations, including the Greater Chennai Corporation and municipalities.
Also Read: Tamil Nadu CM launches 500 Urban Health and Wellness Centres
Under the new initiative, the Chennai City Urban Health Mission—a wing of the National Health Mission—plans to complete the recruitment by the end of April. The contract positions are open to doctors under the age of 40, offering a monthly salary of ₹60,000 for an 11-month term. Alongside doctors, the GCC will also recruit 60 nurses, multi-purpose health workers, and support staff to ensure these centres are fully operational.
According to TOI, however, ever since their inauguration, they have been marred with vacancies and poor services. MDMK Councillor S Jeevan of Kodungaiyur said the centre in his ward, covering dense areas like Erukkanchery, Kodungaiyur, Vyasarpadi, and Moolakadai with a population of 80,000, is functioning without a doctor for a year. "I have spoken about this multiple times in council. Yet, we don't have doctors. Nurses treat patients. Many patients have started going to private clinics," he said.
Councillors argue that offering permanent positions to the doctors would ensure their work is officially recorded in service registers, enabling them to qualify for the service doctors quota in postgraduate medical courses. Jeevan said that while civil engineers were being recruited for permanent posts by the GCC, doctors, who were important, were kept in temporary positions.
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