1,127 vacant doctor posts in 20 HUDs will be up for counselling on February 3 and 4: Tamil Nadu Health Minister

The certificate verification for the candidates selected through the Medical Services Recruitment Board exam has been completed, and the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine is in the process of sending individual intimation through email, Ma. Subramanian says

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian and Health Secretary at the event held in Chennai on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

As many as 1,127 vacant posts in 20 health unit districts (HUD) will be put up for counselling on February 3 and 4 for 1,021 doctors selected through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) exam, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said.

Shortly after laying the foundation stone for two hostel buildings here on Thursday, the Minister said the certificate verification for the selected candidates had been completed, and the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine was in the process of sending individual intimation through email.

In April 2023, the MRB had conducted the examination for the posts of 1,021 doctors, which was taken by nearly 25,000 candidates. Mr. Subramanian added that the recruitment was delayed due to various legal issues.

He said there were 1,127 vacant posts of doctors in Aranthangi, Ariyalur, Cheyyar, Dindigul, Kovilpatti, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Paramakudi, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Sivakasi, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, the Nilgiris, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, Thiruvarur, and Virudhunagar.

Noting that there were nearly 2,000 vacant posts in the State, he said if the 1,021 selected doctors chose the place of posting based on their preferences, vacancies would remain unfilled, obstructing healthcare services to some extent. Stating that the selected doctors will be posted to these 20 HUDs, he urged them to change their mindset of wanting to work in places such as Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, and Poonamallee and not to approach middlemen or get recommendations for postings at a preferred location.

Mr. Subramanian said the doctors could take part in the counselling and join duty. Once all vacant posts are filled in the State, they can take part in future general counsellings and to get their preferred place of posting.

Once counselling is over, the final list of candidates will be put up on February 5, and the appointment orders will be handed over the next day.

Two hostels

A new 14-storey hostel building for postgraduate medical students of the Madras Medical College, comprising 464 rooms, and a 13-storey hostel building for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Tamil Nadu Government Dental College with 274 rooms is coming up near the latter’s premises. While the MMC PG hostel will be constructed at a cost of ₹132.24 crore, the dental college hostel will come up at a cost of ₹64.9 crore. Nearly 1,500 students can be accommodated in these hostels.

Construction work is likely to be completed in 18 months, Mr. Subramanian added.