Tamil Nadu needs more doctors, technicians, and better facilities—not more hospitals

Doctors and groups have expressed their expectations that the state government would keep all of its election pledges in the 2024–2025 budget, including regularizing the positions of contract staff and filling vacancies. This is in advance of the state budget session on February 19.

The DMK had promised to make contract physicians and nurses permanent as well as to take action to fill hospital shortages in its 2021 election platform. The party had said that all contract employees of the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) who have worked there for more than ten years would have their jobs regularized.

Physicians argue that the health department should merely include this in the next budget rather than announcing plans to develop new buildings and hospitals. Increasing workforce size and building infrastructure are urgently needed to provide high-quality services.

According to Dr. A R Shanthi, secretary of the Doctors’ Association for Social Equality, the budgetary allotment should be quadrupled from the previous year because health constitutes a significant portion of government. The positions held by lab technicians and counselors at TANSACS need to be permanent. She said that some 2,500 multifunctional workers who have been employed on a contract basis since 2013 need to be given permanent status. Despite the opening of several new hospitals, few new positions are being created. Dr. Shanthi said that the quantity of patients should match the strength of the doctor.

The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association’s president, Dr. K Senthil, said that the government had to set aside more money for the construction of new facilities and the hiring of additional staff for the hospitals that already exist. The goal should be to raise the standard of service.

The current administration launched eleven new medical schools. For these hospitals, new positions for doctors, staff nurses, and paramedics should now be established and publicized. Physicians believed that all physicians should be hired via the Medical Services Recruitment Board and that promotion counseling should be provided to doctors.

The People’s Health Movement (PHM) national co-convenor, Ameerkhan, said that the health department had to provide more funds for basic healthcare. These days, secondary and tertiary healthcare are given increasing attention. He argued that the state need to introduce the Right to Health Policy and pass the Right to Health Act.

As the past national president of the Indian Medical Association and secretary general of the Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr. J A Jayalal said, “The government should fulfill its poll promise by providing compensation for families of doctors who died in Covid-19.”Relief has not yet reached the families of some private physicians in Tennessee. The load on tertiary care institutions should be lessened and the primary care health system strengthened by the government. Additionally, according to Dr. Jayalal, physicians are appreciative of the government’s decision to extend their maternity leave from nine to twelve months.

Fact sheet

The health department’s budget was raised by the state from Rs 17,902 crore in 2022 to Rs 18,661 crore in 2023.

An MRB test was held by the health department in April 2023 in order to fill 1,021 positions for assistant surgeons.

The MRB held counseling on February 3 and 4 in order to position these physicians in Tamil Nadu’s 20 health unit districts where there are more openings.

Just 777 of the 1,021 physicians received orders that day, and the certification of the other physicians is still pending.

The health minister had declared intentions to appoint 1,251 more physicians.

Following a court judgment, 977 staff nurses who served during COVID-19 were awarded contractual appointment orders on February 12.

For 986 pharmacists, 1,066 health inspectors, and 2,250 village health nurses, the state administered the Medical Services Recruitment Board test; however, posting is still delayed because of ongoing legal matters.