T.N. Resident Doctors Association condemns deputation of NSPGs to tide over doctor shortage

Over the past one month, at least 15 Non Service Post Graduates (NSPG) — mostly obstetrician-gynaecologists — were deputed to distant government hospitals (GH) from their original place of postings as a stopgap measure to tide over the shortage of doctors, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has said.

Issuing a statement on Friday (July 18, 2025), the TNRDA condemned the recent administrative move to depute NSPGs from their originally allotted GHs to other institutions under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS). In some cases, NSPGs were deputed to institutions nearly three to four hours away from their residence.

This action has caused undue stress and hardship to the doctors, who are already working under challenging conditions. It is unacceptable to treat NSPG doctors as stopgap arrangements for systemic administrative lapses. These postgraduate residents are not receiving any special pay, incentives, or allowances despite being posted far from their designated locations. Such treatment is both exploitative and demoralising, the TNRDA said in the statement.

The association also highlighted the lack of transparency in counselling. Administrators failed to reflect actual manpower shortages in GHs during transfer counselling or service/NSPG candidates counselling, leading to unplanned and forced deputations.

A large number of Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) 2025 specialist candidates are waiting for their transfer counselling under the DMS. Despite being available and willing to serve, they have not been recruited or posted appropriately. Instead of resorting to ad hoc deputations, the government must focus on recruiting adequate medical officers and specialists on a regular basis, the association said.

The TNRDA demanded the immediate cancellation of all arbitrary deputation orders issued to NSPGs, transparent and accurate reporting of manpower needs during counselling processes, and immediate posting of MRB 2025 selected candidates waiting in the recruitment pool.