The Health Department has initiated disciplinary action against 1,420 government doctors for failing to rejoin duty after postgraduation. Of the three health directorates, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine accounts for the highest absenteeism, with 766 doctors failing to rejoin duty.

In a press release on Saturday, the department said vacancies arising in government hospitals and medical college hospitals are being filled through the Medical Services Recruitment Board. After joining the Tamil Nadu government service as medical officers, government doctors are permitted to pursue postgraduation in government and private medical colleges based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test.

Permission is granted under the condition that they must continue in government service until their retirement after completing postgraduation. For certain PG courses (excluding scarce specialities), a procedure is followed in which they are relieved from service on payment of a bond amount if government permission is granted.

However, some doctors, after completing their postgraduation based on these conditions, absent themselves from work without any prior notice and go to work in private hospitals. Such doctors are advised to rejoin duty through continuous monitoring. In case of non-compliance, disciplinary action is taken against them under Rule 17 (b) of the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, and punishments such as removal from service or dismissal from service are awarded in necessary circumstances.

Action is taken to collect the bond amount along with interest from the respective doctors or their guarantors for breach of agreement entered into with the government. The department went on to list the number of doctors who failed to rejoin work without any prior notice and the actions taken against them. Of the 1,420 doctors who are absent, final orders have been passed in disciplinary proceedings initiated against 640, while 740 persons were still under disciplinary proceedings.

After the DPH, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research recorded the highest number (370) of doctors who did not join duty, followed by the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services with 284. Keeping in mind the continuity of government healthcare services and public welfare, the State government had stressed that doctors pursuing postgraduate studies under conditions stipulated by the government must compulsorily continue to be in government service after completing their education. To ensure this, the State government is continuously taking necessary monitoring and legal action, the release said.