Health Minister Ma. Subramanian reiterated on Friday (November 28, 2025) that there are zero vacancies in the Health Department. However, a nurses' association said the claim was contrary to the truth and 1,500 nursing posts that should be filled through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) and around 1,000 contract positions remain vacant.
Responding to a question on the number of vacancies in the department, Mr. Subramanian said, "Show if there is at least one vacant position in the Health Department. For the first time, recruitments are being done towards [achieving the status of] zero vacancies." A total of 2,642 posts of doctors and 2,347 posts of Village Health Nurses (VHNs) were filled three months ago. Following a Supreme Court order, interviews will be conducted for 2,137 VHNs, he said.
"We have taken steps to fill all vacancies arising until 2026," he said, adding that around 700 posts may fall vacant for various reasons, including doctors leaving to pursue postgraduate studies and retirement. Taking this into consideration, a MRB notification has been issued to recruit 1,100 assistant surgeons, he added. In a department that has 1,75,000 staff members, a situation, in which there are no vacancies, has been made possible only now, the Minister asserted.
However, the Tamil Nadu Nurses Empowerment Association contested the Minister's statement. Association general secretary N. Subin said in a statement that the posts of nurses have not been created in proportion to the number of patients, as recommended by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and in line with the Indian Public Health Standards. As the number of nurses and hospital staff members is lower than the prescribed norms, delays occur in providing timely treatment.
The association said it is sad that without creating any new post, the government is running newly established and upgraded hospitals such as the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital and Government Hospital, Periyar Nagar, by redeploying doctors and nurses from other hospitals.
According to the NMC recommendations, there should be one nurse for every three patients per shift in the wards of medical college hospitals. In the intensive care unit, there must be one nurse per patient. However, in places where three nurses are required, only one nursing post exists, the association added.
Rain preparedness
The Health Minister said instructions were issued to ensure round-the-clock availability of doctors in all government hospitals and conduct special medical camps in areas where fever cases are being reported after the rain. Health officers have been advised to ensure uninterrupted power supply in all government hospitals.
Earlier, many government hospitals, including those at Avinashi and Royapettah, suffered from inundation following short spells of rain. Now, the issue of waterlogging has been addressed in the majority of hospitals, he added.