Doctors' body opposes contractual appointment of retired doctors in TN Health Dept
Chennai: The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has urged the Tamil Nadu Health Minister to discontinue the practice of appointing retired doctors on a contractual basis to senior posts in the Health Department, arguing that adequately qualified government doctors are available for these positions.
The association pointed out that recruitment to the Tamil Nadu Health Department was carried out solely through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission until 2012. Subsequently, the Medical Recruitment Board (MRB) was established to recruit doctors and paramedical personnel.
According to a press release signed by Dr P. Saminathan, State President, SDPGA, the Health Department currently has nearly 20,000 doctors serving in medical colleges, government hospitals, and Primary Health Centres across the state. The association stated that around 80 percent of these doctors possess postgraduate qualifications, including MD, MS, DM, and M.Ch degrees. It maintained that such professionals are capable of filling senior administrative and medical positions within the department.
The association further stated that with a set of doctors who have worked in PHCS, GHs, and Medical Colleges, the Tamil Nadu Health Department has one of the strongest pools of experienced doctors and requisite managerial experience. It also pointed out that during the initial phase of Omandurar Multispeciality Hospital, a proposal for contractual appointments of doctors as senior consultants and junior Consultants was introduced, which was later withdrawn after opposition from doctors, but certain posts of HODs and Director OMSH were filled on a contractual basis.
SDPGA, since its inception in 2015, has opposed contractual appointments of doctors in 2022; appointments of doctors in contractual posts in OMSH were stopped. Kalaingar Karunanidhi Superspeciality Hospital was inaugurated in 2023, and the post of Director was filled on a contractual basis by the appointment of retired Professor Dr Parthasarathi, MD Anaesthesia, and the contract period had lapsed in May, 2026.
“SDPGA has requested the Health Minister to stop contractual appointments of retired doctors as Director of KKSSH, Director Transtan, Consultants in NHM, TNHSP, as this presents TN Government Doctors in a bad light, as though there are no qualified, eligible, skilled, capable Doctors to fill those posts. SDPGA requests to fill these posts with eligible senior Doctors from the Dean/Directors panel and the Joint Directors panel as per existing norms,” the association added.
