Tamil Nadu: Doctors shifted to rural areas, DMER faces resentment over counselling

Chennai: Transfer and shuffling of government doctors to the remote healthcare centres and rural medical colleges in the state have developed a bone of contention between doctors and the health department.

Recently, Director of Medical and Rural Health Services (ESI) wrote to all the Heads of Medical Institutions in the state regarding their decision to conduct Inter Directorate Transfer Counseling to fill up their vacant posts of Assistant Surgeon, Senior Assistant Surgeon, Civil Surgeon with MBBS qualified medical officers from Directorate of Medical Education side to Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services.

Following this health department initiated its process of reshuffling through counselling of 900 doctors to remote areas with an intention of placing right specialists at right places. However, the decision has met the opposition of the Government Doctors’ Association.

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The Director of medical service, Dr A Edwin Joe informed the TOI that there are enough doctors in most specialties.

“If we don’t need specialists in a particular department, we send them to district headquarters hospitals. This would mean they will have work for the directorate of medical services. This will also ensure specialty services in rural areas”, he added.

However, government doctors have opposed the counselling

President of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association (TNGDA) told the Hindu, “The government wants to post MBBS, diploma holders in peripheral hospitals and send post-graduate specialists to rural medical colleges. TNGDA has requested them to retain posts for patient welfare and conduct the counselling as per norms, giving equal opportunity for all doctors as per seniority.”

Service Doctors and Postgraduates Association claimed that the Civil Medical List should be followed, pointing out to the institution-wise seniority list which was hurting the promotion prospects of seniors.

A Ramalingam, Service Doctors and Postgraduates Association told the Hindu, “For a college to admit 150 students it should have 500 beds. But in all our government medical college hospitals the bed strength is around 750 to 1,000. The current restructuring has not considered patient workload,” he said.