Over 25,000 doctors apply for 1,100 Assistant Surgeon posts in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government’s latest recruitment for Assistant Surgeon (General) posts has revealed intense competition among doctors, with 25,172 candidates applying for just 1,100 vacancies.

In a notification issued last year, the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MSRB) invited applications for 1,100 Assistant Surgeon (General) posts in the Tamil Nadu Medical Service. The last date for submission of the application was December 11, 2025.

As per official data, a total of 25,172 doctors have submitted applications for these posts.

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MSRB issued a notice on the update, which mentioned, "The written examination for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Surgeon (General) in the Tamil Nadu Medical Service was conducted as per Notification No. 17/MRB/2025 dated 21.11.2025. For the 1,100 Assistant Surgeon posts that were notified, a total of 25,172 candidates had applied online up to 11.12.2025."

Taking to 'X' (formerly Twitter), a doctor said, With a 23:1 ratio, category-wise seat fragmentation, repeated exams, and take home pay near ₹85,000, the notification exposes severe doctor overproduction and lack of workforce planning.

The 1,100 posts have been divided across different reservation categories, including General, Backwards Class (BC), Backwards Class, Most Backwards Class/Denotified Community (MBC/DNC), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Caste (A), and Scheduled Tribe (ST).

The vacancies also include reservations for ex-servicemen, differently-abled persons (DAP), and backlog vacancies. Because of this category-wise division, the actual number of seats available in each group becomes much smaller, increasing competition further.

The written examination was conducted on 25.01.2026 in 159 centres across 34 districts in Tamil Nadu. The exam was held from 9 AM to 12:15 PM.

The numbers highlight the growing pressure in the medical job market. With over 25,000 applicants for just 1,100 posts, the recruitment has once again raised concerns about limited government opportunities for doctors despite increasing numbers of medical graduates.

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