Not new hospitals, Tamil Nadu needs more docs, technicians & better facilities
CHENNAI: The state government should fulfil all its poll promises in the 2024-2025 budget, including filling of vacancies and regularising the posts of contract employees, said doctors and associations ahead of the state budget session scheduled for February 19.
In its election manifesto in 2021, the DMK had said steps will be taken to fill vacancies in hospitals and that contract doctors and nurses will be made permanent. Jobs of all contract workers who have worked for more than 10 years in the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) will be regularised, the party had said.
Doctors say the health department should just focus on this in the coming budget instead of making announcements for constructing new hospitals and buildings. The need of the hour is increasing manpower and developing infrastructure for providing quality services.
Since health forms a major part of governance, the budget allocation should be doubled from last year, said Dr A R Shanthi, secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality. Jobs of lab technicians and counsellors working in TANSACS should be made permanent. Around 2,500 multipurpose workers who have been working as contract employees since 2013 should be made permanent, she said. Though many new hospitals were inaugurated, new posts are hardly created. Doctors’ strength should be commensurate with patients’ numbers, said Dr Shanthi.
Dr K Senthil, president, Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, said the government should allocate more funds to develop infrastructure and increase manpower in the existing hospitals. Focus should be on improving the quality of service.
Eleven new medical colleges were made operational by the present government. Now new doctor, staff nurse and paramedical posts should be created and posted for these hospitals. Promotion counselling for doctors should be conducted, and all doctors should be recruited only through Medical Services Recruitment Board, opined doctors.
Ameerkhan, national co-convenor, People’s Health Movement (PHM), said the health department should increase the budget allocation for primary health care. Now, it is more focused on secondary and tertiary health care. The state should also bring the Right to Health Policy and enact the Right to Health Act, he said.
Dr J A Jayalal, secretary general of Commonwealth Medical Association and Past National President, IMA, said, “The government should fulfil its poll promise by providing compensation for families of doctors who died in Covid-19. “In TN, several private doctors’ families have not yet received relief. The government should strengthen primary care health system and reduce the burden in tertiary care hospitals.” Dr Jayalal also said the doctors are thankful for the government for increasing their maternity leave from nine months to 12 months.
Fact file
The state has increased the budget allocation to the health department from Rs 17,902 crore in 2022 to Rs 18,661 crore in 2023
The health department in April 2023 conducted an MRB exam to fill 1,021 assistant surgeons posts
On February 3 and 4, the MRB conducted counselling to post these doctors in 20 health unit districts in Tamil Nadu where vacancies are more
Of 1,021 doctors, only 777 were given orders on the day and certification verification is still going on for remaining doctors
Health minister had announced plans to fill another 1,251 doctors posts
On February 12, 977 staff nurses who worked during Covid-19 were given appointment orders on a contractual basis following a court order
The state conducted Medical Services Recruitment Board exam for 986 pharmacists, 1,066 health inspectors, and 2,250 village health nurses, but posting is pending due to court cases