CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has instructed state government to consider the applications of doctors on contract basis who served during the three waves of the pandemic for appointment as assistant surgeon in government service as per the relevant law.
Directing the petitioner-doctors, to submit fresh representation to the health secretary and the director of public health in two weeks for appointment in the regular vacancies of assistant surgeons, Justice Abdul Quddhose said the authorities shall pass final orders on merits and in accordance with the law within eight weeks of receiving the applications.
The order was passed based on petitions filed by 11 doctors who qualified the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) in 2018 but were not appointed. They served on contract basis in government healthcare institutes during the pandemic, as noted by their counsel S Thanga Sivan in a suo motu writ petition, and thus their case for appointment ought to have been considered.
However, the state submitted that the petitioners were not entitled for appointment because their service during the pandemic was on contractual basis and they do not have any vested right to seek appointment since they failed to get selected in 2018.