Only Doctors registered before July 15 eligible for Assistant Surgeon Posts: Ma Subramanian

Chennai: In response to the growing concerns from doctors about alleged irregularities in the recruitment of 2,642 assistant surgeons, Health Minister Ma Subramanian recently assured that doctors who are registered with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) before July 15, 2024, will be recruited for the post of assistant surgeons in the state.  

Confirming that unregistered doctors won't be able to secure the job if applied in this ongoing recruitment, the minister said the rejected candidates can apply when the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) invites applications for fresh recruitment.

However, the minister's move has been criticised by doctors who had registered with the state medical council after the cut-off date, alleging that the fault lies with the specific college/university who failed to provide graduation certificates on time implying they are also the victim in this situation. 

Also read- TN doctors raise concerns over transparency in recruitment of 2642 Assistant Surgeons

Medical Dialogues recently reported that doctors from the 2018 MBBS batch raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities in the selection process following the Tamil Nadu Health Department’s counselling for recruiting 2,642 assistant surgeons to tackle the state's doctor shortage.

These doctors, registered with the state medical council who applied for the post by submitting original registration certificates claimed that around 400 doctors submitted provisional registration certificates instead of the original, which directly contradicts the eligibility criteria set by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB).

The core issue in this case revolves around the recruitment board’s directive that job opportunities will be granted only to doctors registered with the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC). However, the doctors alleged that MRB called doctors who registered with the council even after July 15, 2024, for certificate verification, and this was a clear violation of the MRB notification.

Initially, the MRB had set May 15, 2024, as the last date for TNMC registration for applicants. However, following requests from some doctors who couldn’t meet this deadline, the MRB revised the cut-off to July 15, 2024. While this extension was created to address delays, some candidates allegedly submitted applications using provisional TNMC registration certificates instead of the original. 

Following the Health Minister's assurance, Dr D Dharani, an aspirant who had registered after the cut-off date told TNIE, "The “government’s inefficiency” has affected around 400 doctors from the 2018 batch, of whom nearly 150 secured ranks in the first 1,000 places in the exam. TN Dr MGR Medical University delayed sending course completion certificates and the subsequent delay by colleges, delayed the registration with the TNMC."

Also read- 2642 doctors to get appointment letters, says Health Minister Ma Subramanian