The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has urged the Health Minister to stop contractual appointments of retired doctors to senior positions in the Health Department, contending that qualified government doctors were available to fill such posts.In a letter, SDPGA’s president P. Saminathan said the association, since its inception in 2015, had been opposing the contractual appointments of doctors. The Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH) was inaugurated in 2023. The post of director was filled on a contractual basis by appointing a retired professor and the contract period lapsed in May 2026, he said.The association has now sought an end to the contractual appointments of retired doctors as director of the KCSSH, member secretary of the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu, consultants in the National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, and Tamil Nadu Health System Project. This creates an impression that there are no qualified, eligible, skilled, and capable government doctors to fill these posts, he said.The association said these posts should be filled with eligible senior doctors from the dean/directors’ panel and joint directors’ panel as per existing norms. It pointed out that recruitment to the Health Department was carried out through a single-point of entry via the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission till 2012, after which the Medical Services Recruitment Board was established to recruit doctors and paramedics.At present, there are nearly 20,000 doctors working in government medical college hospitals, government hospitals, and primary health centres, with nearly 80% of them being postgraduates — MD/MS/DM/MCh. The State’s Health Department has a strong pool of experienced doctors with both expertise and managerial skills.Dr. Saminathan recalled that when the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital was established, a proposal to appoint senior and junior consultants on a contractual basis was withdrawn after opposition from doctors. However, certain positions, including those of heads of departments and director, were then filled on a contractual basis. Published - June 09, 2026 08:47 pm IST