CHENNAI: The state authorities ought to fulfil all its ballot guarantees within the 2024-2025 funds, together with filling of vacancies and regularising the posts of contract workers, mentioned medical doctors and associations forward of the state funds session scheduled for February 19.

In its election manifesto in 2021, the DMK had mentioned steps will probably be taken to fill vacancies in hospitals and that contract medical doctors and nurses will probably be made everlasting. Jobs of all contract staff who’ve labored for greater than 10 years within the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) will probably be regularised, the occasion had mentioned.

Doctors say the well being division ought to simply deal with this within the coming funds as a substitute of creating bulletins for establishing new hospitals and buildings. The want of the hour is rising manpower and creating infrastructure for offering high quality companies.

Since well being types a significant a part of governance, the funds allocation ought to be doubled from final yr, mentioned Dr A R Shanthi, secretary, Doctors’ Association for Social Equality. Jobs of lab technicians and counsellors working in TANSACS ought to be made everlasting. Around 2,500 multipurpose staff who’ve been working as contract workers since 2013 ought to be made everlasting, she mentioned. Though many new hospitals had been inaugurated, new posts are hardly created. Doctors’ energy ought to be commensurate with sufferers’ numbers, mentioned Dr Shanthi.

Dr Ok Senthil, president, Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association, mentioned the federal government ought to allocate extra funds to develop infrastructure and improve manpower within the present hospitals. Focus ought to be on enhancing the standard of service.

Eleven new medical schools had been made operational by the current authorities. Now new physician, employees nurse and paramedical posts ought to be created and posted for these hospitals. Promotion counselling for medical doctors ought to be performed, and all medical doctors ought to be recruited solely by means of Medical Services Recruitment Board, opined medical doctors.

Ameerkhan, nationwide co-convenor, People’s Health Movement (PHM), mentioned the well being division ought to improve the funds allocation for major well being care. Now, it’s extra targeted on secondary and tertiary well being care. The state also needs to deliver the Right to Health Policy and enact the Right to Health Act, he mentioned.

Dr J A Jayalal, secretary basic of Commonwealth Medical Association and Past National President, IMA, mentioned, “The government should fulfil its poll promise by providing compensation for families of doctors who died in Covid-19. “In TN, several private doctors’ families have not yet received relief. The government should strengthen primary care health system and reduce the burden in tertiary care hospitals.” Dr Jayalal additionally mentioned the medical doctors are grateful for the federal government for rising their maternity go away from 9 months to 12 months.

Fact file

• The state has elevated the funds allocation to the well being division from Rs 17,902 crore in 2022 to Rs 18,661 crore in 2023

• The well being division in April 2023 performed an MRB examination to fill 1,021 assistant surgeons posts

• On February 3 and 4, the MRB performed counselling to submit these medical doctors in 20 well being unit districts in Tamil Nadu the place vacancies are extra

• Of 1,021 medical doctors, solely 777 got orders on the day and certification verification remains to be occurring for remaining medical doctors

• Health minister had introduced plans to fill one other 1,251 medical doctors posts

• On February 12, 977 employees nurses who labored throughout Covid-19 got appointment orders on a contractual foundation following a court docket order

• The state performed Medical Services Recruitment Board examination for 986 pharmacists, 1,066 well being inspectors, and a couple of,250 village well being nurses, however posting is pending as a consequence of court docket circumstances