Chennai: The health department has initiated disciplinary action against 1,420 govt doctors who failed to report for duty after completing postgraduate medical courses under a special quota and govt-funded service bond, a press release from the department said.The absentees are spread across three directorates — 370 from medical colleges and attached teaching hospitals under the Directorate of Medical Education (DME), 766 from primary health centres under the Directorate of Public Health (DPH), and 284 from govt hospitals under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS).Action against 680 doctors has reached the final stage following the issue of show-cause notices, while proceedings against 740 others are still under way. The list of missing doctors in govt hospitals has been drawn since 2021, officials said.Earlier, civil society group Arappor Iyakkam had flagged the issue, citing RTI data to show that more than 200 govt doctors and medical college faculty across 28 districts were on long, unauthorised absence from service, and had urged the state to recover bond money and enforce disciplinary action.On Saturday, invoking Rule 17(b) of the Tamil Nadu Government Employees (Conditions of Service) Act, the govt warned that doctors who skipped mandatory service or left before completing their bond period face penalties, including removal or dismissal from service.Recovery of salaries and financial benefits paid during their tenure has been initiated against such doctors, the department said, but officials refused to elaborate on the amount involved or the specialities in which the defaulting doctors were working.The govt, which offers PG and super-speciality seats to in-service doctors on condition that they return to govt service after training, said many had instead joined private hospitals without reporting for duty. The state reserves up to 50pc of seats for in-service candidates and pays them salaries during their study period.Recruitment to vacant posts in govt hospitals and medical colleges is being handled through the Medical Services Recruitment Board, even as disciplinary action against the bond defaulters continues, the press release said.
