1,420 Government Doctors in Tamil Nadu Face Action for Skipping Duty After PG

The Tamil Nadu Health Department has initiated disciplinary proceedings against 1,420 government doctors who failed to rejoin duty after completing their postgraduate studies. The highest number of absentees—766—belong to the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

According to a press release issued on Saturday, government doctors are permitted to pursue postgraduate courses in government or private medical colleges based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. Permission is granted on the condition that they must continue in government service until retirement after completion. For certain courses, doctors are relieved from service only after paying a bond amount if government permission is granted.

However, some doctors, after obtaining their postgraduate degrees, absent themselves without notice to work in private hospitals. The department has been monitoring such cases and advising them to rejoin. When non-compliance persists, disciplinary action is taken under Rule 17(b) of the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, which can lead to removal or dismissal from service.

The department also takes steps to recover the bond amount along with interest from the doctors or their guarantors. Of the 1,420 doctors absent, final orders have been passed against 640, while disciplinary proceedings are ongoing for the remaining 740.

After the Directorate of Public Health, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research has 370 absentees, followed by the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services with 284. The state government has emphasized the need to maintain continuity in public healthcare services and is taking continuous monitoring and legal action to ensure that doctors who benefited from government-sponsored postgraduate studies fulfill their obligation to serve in the public sector.