Tamil Nadu Hospitals Face Cardiac Surgeon Crisis

Government hospitals in Tamil Nadu are facing a critical shortage of cardiac surgeons, impacting patient care and leading to growing waiting lists. Key cardiac surgery positions remain vacant in major Chennai hospitals, including Government General Hospital, Omandurar Multispecialty Hospital, and Kalaignar Centenary Hospital. This deficit extends to other cities like Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, and Trichy, with several facilities functioning without chief surgeons.

The scarcity stems from a dual problem: few government doctors opting for cardiac surgery specialization and a reluctance among external specialists to join public service. The state's requirement for in-service doctors to sign a 50 lakh bond, coupled with a commitment to serve until retirement and provide sureties, is widely seen as a major deterrent. Earlier efforts to recruit specialists, including cardiac surgeons, saw limited success due to candidates failing Tamil language tests, lacking qualifications, or not attending interviews.

Compounding the issue, a substantial number of super-speciality seats, including those in cardiology, neurology, and cardiovascular surgery, remained unfilled after multiple rounds of counselling. This situation, which began with faltering demand for specialization among government doctors, has worsened over time. Concerns have been raised that the bond system and lack of adequate incentives make public service unattractive for medical professionals.