Non-service postgraduates Posted as Assistant Surgeons, TN Doctors Oppose Move

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government's order posting the non-service postgraduate (NSPGs) candidates as assistant surgeons in government medical colleges, ahead of the service doctors and PGs, has upset a section of government doctors in the State.

Demanding that the Government order be withdrawn, the doctors' associations in the State have warned the authorities to boycott hospital duties in protest of the decision. 

TN Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) said that the non-service postgraduates would be posted to the institutes and work for a minimum period of one year. This was ordered to ensure that these NSPGs fulfilled their bond conditions by working as Assistant Surgeons.

However, this decision has been strongly opposed by Democratic Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association. Issuing a Statement, the association strongly opposed the method of posting the NSPGs in regular posts without conducting any counselling for the existing service PGs.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu doctors to move High Court against recruitment for 2553 posts of Assistant Surgeons

As per the latest media report by The Hindu, this move has also been opposed by the Tamil Nadu Medical Officers' Association (TNMOA). The association informed the daily that they had already represented the concerns of posting the NSPGs before service doctors and PGs. Even though the DME had assured that the order would be withdrawn, the posting orders were issued and appointees started joining the posts.

"This will hamper the opportunity of hundreds of service doctors in the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services institutions, who completed postgraduation earlier and are waiting to enter DME institutions, and the current final-year batch of service PGs, who will finish their course in six months," the association said.

Meanwhile, the doctors' associations have demanded that the State Health Department withdraw the posting order for the NSPGs immediately and conduct counselling for the service postgraduates. TNMOA has warned to initiate protest by boycotting hospital duties if the order was not withdrawn.

Earlier this year, Medical Dialogues had reported that the aspirants preparing for the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) examination in Tamil Nadu were expressing dissatisfaction with the Health Department's handling of vacant positions and the allocation of merit marks

They were particularly concerned about the department's decision to issue a fresh notification for 2,553 assistant surgeon posts, despite 1,251 vacancies remaining unfilled from the April 2023 MRB exam. Back then, the aspirants were planning to challenge this move before the Madras High Court.

Also Read: TN Doctors Upset with Health Dept's Decision of Withholding In-Service Quota in Certain Specialties