Government doctors associations have welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision allowing the Tamil Nadu government to implement a 50% reservation for in-service doctors in super specialty (SS) courses. This, they said, would ensure that government hospitals had sufficient super specialists in the future and ensure accessibility to SS care for the poor and rural population.
They pointed out that Tamil Nadu had the highest number of SS seats in the country.
Welcoming the SC’s ruling, M. Akilan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association, said the rights of the State that were taken away in 2017 have been restored. “The basis of this decision is our petition in the court in 2018 on 50% reservation for in-service candidates in specialty courses. The State government went on to issue orders 462 and 463 reserving 50% seats in specialties and SS courses,” he said.
This would help in sustaining the tertiary care health apparatus of the State government by acting as a feeder line of specialists who will work in government hospitals, thereby taking tertiary healthcare to the rural population, P. Saminathan, president of Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association.
“As of date, 68% of non-service doctors who completed DM/MCh from Tamil Nadu in the last few years have not joined State government hospitals, thereby violating their bond conditions. Of the remaining 32%, the majority have quit after completion of the bond period,” he said.
Availability of tertiary care in government hospitals indirectly controls spiraling healthcare costs in private hospitals, he said.
“Tamil Nadu with about 360 SS seats, the highest in the country, has been filling it up with candidates from other States and hardly 30 to 50 seats were taken by candidates from Tamil Nadu. Now, our State will benefit as 50% seats will be taken up by service candidates and another 15% to 20% by candidates from Tamil Nadu. We will have sufficient super specialists in the government sector,” K. Senthil, president of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association.
G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors Association for Social Equality, said until three years ago, 100% of seats were available only for doctors of Tamil Nadu. Of this, 50% were reserved for government doctors. As a result, MD/MS qualified doctors working in the government sector were able to pursue SS courses.
This led to an increase in the number of students who studied SS in government hospitals and creation of SS departments in government hospitals. The poor who were dependent on government hospitals benefitted as SS care was available, he said.
