TN doctors urge health minister to scrap 1-year posting requirement for transfer counselling

Madurai: Around 460 doctors from various government hospitals in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu have appealed to the State Health Minister Ma Subramanian to withdraw the condition imposed on transfer counselling.

Under the existing rules, in order to become eligible for transfer counselling, it is mandatory to have a minimum of one year of experience in the present posting.

In this regard, the doctors under the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association (TNGDA) have submitted a petition to the Dean of the Government Rajaji Hospital, Dr. L Arul Sundaresh Kumar.

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Commenting on the matter, the State President of TNGDA, Dr. K Senthil, told TOI, "Restriction will mean failure of station seniority". He pointed out that the juniors who were just promoted would secure the preferred postings while the seniors would lose out if because of the one-year rule.

In its representation, the association also highlighted its long-standing demand for conducting promotion and transfer counselling in March every year and allow the medical officers to join their new stations from April 1.

However, they pointed out that despite 15 years if requests, the promotions were delayed by 18 to 24 months and the doctors were deprived of their rights to get timely promotions in their careers. The plea urged the government to regularise the annual promotions and transfers at the earliest.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that earlier this year, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court upheld the seniority rights of a doctor in a dispute over transfer counselling. Filing the plea, the doctor had sought directions to the authorities to revise the seniority list in the Pharmacology Department based on the date of the transfer posting order before conducting the re-counselling, which arose due to the vacancy caused by the transfer counselling.

The court, comprising Justice J. Nisha Banu and Justice S. Srimathy, observed that the doctor’s seniority should be determined based on her transfer order date rather than her date of joining the new post.

Also Read: Madras HC Upholds Doctor's Seniority Rights, Says Transfer Date Counts, Not Joining Date