CHENNAI: Doctors have urged the health department to recruit specialists through the Medical Services Recruitment Board to fill specialist vacancies in government hospitals, particularly taluk, non-taluk, and district headquarters hospitals. Since 2013, the department has not recruited specialists.
The Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB), on March 3, invited applications to the post of assistant surgeons (general), and the minimum qualification to apply was MBBS. Since there has not been direct recruitment to the post of general surgeon (speciality), even doctors who have completed super speciality (DM, MCh) and broad speciality (MD, MS) have applied.
These doctors will be posted as medical officers in primary health centres (PHCs) under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, for providing primary health care.
Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) general secretary Dr M Keerthy Varman, who has a DM in cardiology, said he is among those who have applied and is waiting for the exam. “I completed my super speciality course, but since there is no speciality recruitment for years, I applied for this. Many doctors who completed broad specialties have also applied.
We request the health department to conduct speciality recruitment,” he said. Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) president Dr K Senthil said there is gross mismanagement in the appointment of doctors. “We should fix serious lapses on the part of the appointing authority. It is grossly mismanaged,” he said.
There are three directorates - Directorate of public health and preventive Medicine (DPH), Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, and Directorate of Medical Education and Research. “Without recruiting as per the need of these directorates, they are recruiting only MBBS (graduates). That is only for DPH. Because of this, speciality doctors even lose seniority,” Dr Senthil said.
Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE) general secretary Dr GR Ravindranath said there is a shortage of gynaecologists, and this is causing difficulty for patients as well as the doctors. “Lack of specialists is leading to rise in conflicts between patients and doctors.”
“This is also hindering the opportunities of MBBS doctors. These specialist doctors will serve for one year in PHCs and again go to DME or DMS when transfer counselling is conducted. As a result again, PHCs will be left with no doctor till the freshers come,” said Dr M Senthilkumar, who has completed MBBS and applied for the assistant surgeon post.
On November 4, TNGDA wrote a letter to health secretary Supriya Sahu highlighting the vacancies of doctors, including specialists vacancies, in government hospitals. At least 2,500 (40%) posts in PHC, 1,000 posts (33%) in secondary care hospitals (DMS), 250 posts in maternity hospitals, and 2,500 posts in medical colleges are waiting to be filled, the letter stated.
Though vacancies of physicians, general surgeons and anaesthetists exist, there is a severe crisis in obstetricians-gynaecologists, TNGDA said.
However, on November 7, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the allegations are false as there are sufficient doctors in hospitals, and over 2,553 assistant surgeons will be recruited through the Medical Recruitment Board and the exam will be conducted on January 27. He added that the recruitment is for arising vacancies till the year 2026.