The Tamil Nadu health department is facing a staff shortage in multiple healthcare facilities, with 12 per cent doctor vacancies at Primary Health Centres and over 30 per cent at Community Health Centres. About 26 per cent technician and 25 per cent specialist vacancies are not filled in Primary Health Centres.

In a recent response by the Minister of State for Health in Lok Sabha, it was noted that the Tamil Nadu Health Department has a 15 per cent increase in rural healthcare demand, putting pressure on the already strained workforce. State health department officials say the Union Health Ministry needs to extend financial and technical support to fill vacancies through the National Health Mission.

Shortage across most facilities

The shortage of health personnel has been reported in Tamil Nadu across various healthcare facilities, including Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Upper Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), District Hospitals (DHs), and Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs).

The data reveals significant vacancies in other key positions, highlighting the gap in the healthcare services in the state. There is a vacancy of about 340 doctors in PHCs and 65 in UPHCs. The specialist vacancies are even higher, with vacancy rates being 31 per cent and 25 per cent at CHCs and UPHCs, respectively, indicating a severe lapse in the delivery of specialized care.

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The shortage extends to support staff, with pharmacists at PHCs having a 26 per cent vacancy rate and lab technicians at PHCs facing a similar shortage. Despite claims of sufficient nurses in healthcare institutions, nursing staff experience significant vacancies, particularly at UCHCs, where the vacancy rate is 18 per cent.

Even the district and sub-district hospitals report shortages of doctors, with 11 per cent vacancies for doctors and specialists at both levels. The paramedic staff is at a shortage of 17 per cent and 11 per cent at district and sub-district hospitals, respectively.

MP’s public revelations

Sharing the data on X, MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian wrote about alarming vacancies across Tamil Nadu’s government health institutions, with 12 per cent of doctor posts in PHCs and over 30 per cent of specialist posts in CHCs remaining unfilled.

She also asked about Tamil Nadu’s pending proposals under National Health Mission and urged the Centre to expedite support for underserved and tribal regions, especially through incentives, telemedicine, and infrastructure under PM-ABHIM.

The data highlighted a widespread shortage of healthcare professionals across Tamil Nadu’s healthcare infrastructure, underscoring the need for targeted recruitment and retention strategies to address these gaps.

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Experts warn of consequences

Experts say the shortage can have far-reaching consequences, including reduced access to healthcare services, increased wait times, and decreased quality of care, ultimately affecting the health and well-being of the population.

“The vacancies not only affect health delivery but also strain the workforce. The salaries are also low, so the specialists are obviously not opting in; they leave immediately after the bond period is over. The vacancies of obstetricians and gynaecologists in many hospitals raise a serious concern. Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) are health indicators, but such critical specialties as obstetricians and gynaecologists are not filled in, which are affected if they are short staffed,” Dr Perumal Pillai, President, Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors told The Federal.

Dr Pillai emphasized that timely recruitment is important and vacancies should be filled when postgraduate students are completing their service so that there is sufficient staff when they are leaving. A healthy working atmosphere is also important, or doctors would feel discouraged to work in such settings. Multiple healthcare schemes have been introduced, but they also need to have workforce for these so as to not overburden the existing staff. The same applies for new hospitals in the state; Salem and Tirunelveli also have multiple vacancies across various departments,” he added.

Lack of specialists

Doctors say it is essential for healthcare administrators and policymakers to develop and implement effective solutions to address these shortages. Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE) general secretary Dr GR Ravindranath also raised the issue of shortage of gynaecologists and specialists.

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“The lack of specialists causes conflict between patients and doctors if there are not enough doctors. Especially in rural areas, where patients depend on PHCs, CHCs, and Sub Health Centres for primary care, the shortage of staff adds to the sufferings of the patients,” he told The Federal.

Meanwhile, officials from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine say all efforts are being made to fill the vacancies across the healthcare facilities under the directorate. Earlier this month, Health Minister Ma Subramanian had claimed that about 2,600 vacancies in hospitals were filled in April this year and there will be no vacancies by next year.