TN doctors urge WHO to intervene on staffing and pay disparities

Chennai: The Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors (LCC), a Tamil Nadu-based organisation, has appealed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to intervene and urge the State government to address persistent issues of staff shortages and salary disparities affecting government doctors.

In a letter to Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, the WHO Representative to India, LCC president Perumal Pillai acknowledged Tamil Nadu’s notable achievements in public healthcare, particularly in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates – milestones that align with WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The State, with a population exceeding 80 million, has already achieved a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 39 per one lakh live births – a target the WHO set for 2030, attained by Tamil Nadu a decade early.

The representation also noted the State’s advances in rural healthcare delivery and non-communicable disease management.

However, the LCC president highlighted that these successes have come at a heavy cost to the medical personnel who made them possible.

The organisation expressed alarm over inadequate recruitment in public hospitals, resulting in overburdened doctors and strained healthcare delivery.

“This crisis impacts not only doctors but also the general public,” the letter stated.

The LCC pointed out that government doctors in Tamil Nadu receive some of the lowest salaries in the country. It cited a pay gap of nearly Rs 40,000 between MBBS doctors in Tamil Nadu and their counterparts in other States.

Despite recommendations from the National Medical Commission to ensure parity with doctors in central institutions such as AIIMS, and a Tamil Nadu High Court directive upholding Government Order 354, which mandates salary revisions, the State government has failed to implement the necessary changes, the organisation alleged.

Of further concern, the LCC claimed that government doctors in Tamil Nadu face one of the highest early mortality rates in the country.

While the average life expectancy of the general population is estimated between 69 and 72 years, the life expectancy of government doctors reportedly ranges between 55 and 59 years.

Citing these concerns, the LCC urged the WHO to impress upon the Tamil Nadu government the urgent need to address staffing shortfalls and enforce fair pay structures as per national guidelines and existing legal orders.

IANS