The Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors (LCC) in Tamil Nadu has formally appealed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to intervene in addressing persistent staffing shortages and significant salary disparities faced by government doctors in the state.
In a representation submitted to Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, LCC President Perumal Pillai underscored Tamil Nadu’s notable achievements in public health. He emphasized that many of these accomplishments are closely aligned with WHO-recommended frameworks and goals. With a population exceeding 80 million, Tamil Nadu has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, having already achieved a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 39 per one lakh live births—a target the WHO has set for 2030, which the state met a decade in advance.
The LCC also commended Tamil Nadu’s efforts in strengthening rural health infrastructure and in the effective management of non-communicable diseases. However, it stressed that these gains have come at a steep cost to government doctors, who are burdened with excessive workloads due to chronic understaffing in public hospitals. “Not only doctors, but the public are also affected by this crisis,” the committee stated in the letter.
Highlighting stark pay disparities, the LCC pointed out that government doctors in Tamil Nadu are among the lowest paid in the country. They cited a ₹40,000 difference in monthly salaries between MBBS doctors in Tamil Nadu and their counterparts in other states. Despite recommendations from the National Medical Commission and a directive from the High Court supporting Government Order 354—which mandates revisions in doctors’ pay—the state government has failed to implement the necessary changes, the committee alleged.
The LCC also raised alarming concerns regarding the health and life expectancy of government doctors in the state. Based on their data, doctors in Tamil Nadu have a life expectancy of only 55–59 years, compared to 69–72 years for the general population—a disparity that, according to the committee, marks the lowest life expectancy among government doctors in any Indian state.
In light of these critical concerns, the LCC has urged the WHO to press the Tamil Nadu government to ensure timely recruitment in public hospitals and to implement salary parity as mandated by existing government orders and national-level recommendations. Maktoob Media