Hold re-counselling for Non Service Post Graduates, demands resident doctors' association

The Hindu

26-05-2025

Stating that the recently concluded counselling for Non Service Post Graduates (NSPG) was held in an 'arbitrary' and 'non-transparent' manner, the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA) has sought the Chief Minister's intervention to conduct a transparent, equitable, and centralised single-window counselling for NSPGs across all three directorates.
Until such a process is implemented, the association has demanded that the current counselling outcomes be withheld.
In a representation to the CM, the association drew his attention to a number of concerns over the recently concluded counselling for NSPGs. Instead of conducting a centralised, transparent single-window counselling for NSPGs, enabling them to opt for vacancies across the directorates of Medical Education (DME), Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS), Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Greater Chennai Corporation, the health authorities deviated from the established practice.
The students were arbitrarily segregated into groups, and a restricted, non-transparent counseling process was initiated, denying the students access to full vacancy details and the freedom to exercise their choice, the association said.
The DME/DMS conducted three separate counselling sessions without publishing a consolidated list of vacancies, creating confusion and inequity among NSPG candidates. The association alleged that the government vacancies were revealed only minutes before the counselling began, leaving candidates with little to no time for deliberation and certain hospitals under the DMS were not shown as available in the official vacancy list but were subsequently allotted to select candidates causing widespread confusion and allegations of bias.
There are approximately 1,100 NSPGs. Only a limited number of them were called to each counselling round meant for a particular directorate; many eligible candidates were not issued call letters and denied participation, the association said.
The association noted that candidates trained in specialised fields such as general surgery and orthopaedics were denied placements in posts matching their training, which could lead to skill degradation and loss of clinical experience. The purpose of the two-year bond to benefit both public health and doctor specialisation was defeated by arbitrary postings and non-transparent procedures, it added.
TNRDA pointed out that this deviation from standard counselling processes was not backed by any new government order or official policy. The association sought the CM's intervention to conduct re-counselling.