Many candidates, who belonged to other States and completed super-speciality medical courses (DM/M.Ch) at government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu in 2020, did not attend the counselling held for posting at July-end. While this was not the first time that non-service other State candidates have violated the two-year service bond executed with the State government, a cross-section of government doctors feels this will have an impact on the healthcare system in the long run.
Official sources said more than half of the candidates of the batch did not attend the online counselling, while a few candidates who attended the counselling said at least 80% of the other State candidates of the 2017 batch skipped the process.
An official of the Health Department said, “More than 50% of the candidates in super-speciality batches are from other States. They must work for two years as per the bond for ₹40 lakh executed at the time of admission. Some doctors finish the course and leave. They join work in their States and approach the court saying they did not get postings or departments as soon as they finished the course. According to the rules, they have to work in a government set-up anywhere in Tamil Nadu. In such circumstances, we will have to take action under the Revenue Recovery Act for bond violation,” he said.
There have been instances of posting orders having been issued but no one having turned up for duty, he said. “Services of a cardiologist or oncologist may be required at a secondary care hospital, not only at a tertiary centre.”
In an analysis, the Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) found that in the 2017 batch of DM medical gastroenterology, all 16 seats were occupied by non-service candidates — one from Tamil Nadu and 15 from other States. Among them, the sole candidate from Tamil Nadu and two other State candidates joined the service. On the contrary, 15 other State candidates of the 2018 batch have joined service.
Of the 19 urology seats, there was one service candidate and the rest were non-service candidates in the 2017 batch. Only one non-service candidate who belonged to Tamil Nadu took up posting, while the remaining did not attend the counselling. No candidate who belonged to other States and completed M.Ch gastroenterology, urology, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery and surgical oncology and DM gastroenterology, cardiology, neurology and endocrinology attended the counselling, the association said.
“There are nearly 280 other State candidates in the 2017 batch and a majority of them did not attend the counselling on July 30. This means they are not going to join the Tamil Nadu government service to serve their bond, and this is a gross disservice to the healthcare delivery system in the State,” SDPGA State president P. Saminathan said. “This is why we have been demanding exclusive State counselling and a 50% service quota in courses. The State government should pass a special ordinance for the quota,” he added.
He said there were no service PGs in a few courses in the last two batches. “If this continues, no one will come to work at government medical colleges in these departments, leading to lack of faculty,” he said.
“Many other State candidates, who completed in 2020, did not attend because it has been a year since they completed the course and so, many returned to their States and started working there. This could have been prevented had postings been given as soon as the course was completed. There is no certainty on when the Directorate of Medical Education will issue postings to work under bond. Another problem was the lack of official intimation regarding counselling by way of email or call letter. It was put up on the Health Department’s website,” a doctor who attended the counselling said.
A doctor working at a primary health centre said that with no service quota in super-speciality seats, students study here and return to their States without completing the mandatory service. “This is creating an acute shortage of super-specialists at government hospitals. This is why we are demanding a 50% service quota,” he said.
