Government-Funded Doctors Allegedly Absent for Years, RTI Data Reveals
An anti-corruption organisation, Arappor Iyakkam, has urged the Tamil Nadu government to initiate strict action against 229 doctors and medical professors who are allegedly absent from government service despite being bound by compulsory service bond agreements.
RTI Findings Expose Long-Term Absenteeism
The demand comes after information obtained through Right to Information (RTI) applications from 28 districts reportedly revealed that several doctors and medical professors have remained absent from duty for extended periods, with some cases stretching up to 15 years.
According to the NGO, these doctors had availed multiple government-supported benefits during their medical education, including 50% reservation in postgraduate, super-speciality and diploma courses, 30% incentive marks in NEET-PG examinations, monthly stipends, and subsidised education funded by taxpayers. In return, they had signed service bonds committing to serve in government healthcare institutions for a specified duration.
Chennai Reports Highest Number of Cases
Data obtained through RTI applications showed that Chennai recorded the highest number of alleged absentee doctors with 49 cases, followed by Thanjavur with 24, Tiruchy with 16, Theni with 15, and Karur with 13. Together, these five districts accounted for 117 cases, representing more than half of the total reported unauthorised absences.
NGO Alleges Failure to Enforce Bond Recovery Rules
Speaking to TNIE, Arappor Iyakkam member M. Radhakrishnan stated that the Tamil Nadu government had failed to implement its own guidelines for recovering service bond amounts from doctors who abandoned government service. He has submitted a petition to the Chief Minister, Health Minister, and Health Secretary seeking immediate intervention.
The petition calls for stringent measures, including suspension or cancellation of medical registrations and passports of doctors who fail to fulfil their bond obligations.
Impact on Public Healthcare Services
The organisation argued that the prolonged absence of these doctors has aggravated manpower shortages in government hospitals, limited access to specialised healthcare services for patients, and negatively affected medical education and training opportunities for students in government institutions.
Calls for Enforcement of Existing Directives
M. Radhakrishnan further alleged that several departmental circulars issued in 2012, 2019, and 2022 prescribing action against absconding doctors were not effectively implemented. He highlighted that Chennai and Thanjavur alone accounted for 73 of the 229 reported cases, underscoring the scale of the issue.
The NGO has urged the state government to enforce existing regulations, recover bond amounts where applicable, and ensure accountability among doctors who benefited from government-sponsored medical education but failed to honour their service commitments.
