Tamil Nadu doctors question DME interview process, seek appointment from promotion panel
Chennai: The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has opposed the Tamil Nadu Health Department’s decision to interview 10 government medical college deans for the post of Director of Medical Education (DME), questioning the expansion of the candidate pool after an initial panel of five eligible candidates had been prepared.
The association has urged the government to scrap the interview process and appoint the DME from the eligible promotion panel, alleging that the current selection process does not follow the established procedure for filling senior medical posts.
The controversy centres on the process used to prepare promotion panels for senior positions in the state Health Department. According to SDPGA state general secretary Dr A Ramalingam, eligible doctors are generally considered based on their status as of March 15, which serves as the annual cut-off date for preparing the promotion panel.
For a single Head of Department-level vacancy, the established practice is to consider five eligible candidates. SDPGA said an initial panel of five candidates had been prepared for the DME post, but the department subsequently expanded the pool to around 10 government medical college deans and proceeded with interviews.
According to TNIE, “The association said the original panel of five was in line with the norm of considering five eligible candidates for a single head of department-level vacancy. It alleged the government further expanded the panel to around 10 candidates and conducted interviews, and questioned the basis for adding names after the original panel had been prepared.”
The association has questioned the basis on which the additional candidates were brought into consideration and why the original panel was not used for the appointment. It has also objected to the inclusion of a retired Additional Director from the Directorate of Medical Education and Research on the interview committee.
The Health Department has introduced interviews for several senior administrative positions, including the DME, Director of Medical Services, medical college deans and joint directors. SDPGA said it had earlier raised objections to the interview system but had not opposed the process when the relevant promotion panel was prepared and published.
The association has now sought cancellation of the DME interview and appointment of an eligible senior doctor through the promotion process based on the March 15 cut-off. It has also urged the department to take up pending promotions of Professors and Associate Professors according to the same eligibility date.
The issue has also brought attention to the broader manpower situation in government medical institutions. SDPGA has argued that expansion of infrastructure without corresponding recruitment is increasing the dependence on redeployment of existing medical and nursing personnel.
According to The Hindu, “Hospital buildings and equipment were being increased, instead of recruiting the required human resources. It was worrying that doctors, nurses and other staff were being redeployed from other places. Additional recruitments should be made in accordance with the number of patients. Any rationalisation of posts should be carried out through a proper review in line with the provisions specified in Government Order 354, the association said in a statement.”
SDPGA has called for the DME selection to be reviewed and for the government to follow the established promotion procedure while making appointments to senior medical posts.
