Published Jul 13, 2026 | 9:43 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 13, 2026 | 9:43 PM
Dr Prasad is widely perceived to have maintained close ties with politicians across party lines.
The adage, “governments may change, but the system rarely does,” is true in the case of Tamil Nadu.
While politicians come and go, some bureaucrats appear to retain, and even strengthen, their influence regardless of who is in power. There is an argument that Dr Venkat Madhu Prasad, Chief Civil Surgeon at the Government Police Hospital in Egmore, is one such official.
A familiar name in the news over the past five years for one controversy after another, Dr Prasad has once again found himself in the spotlight.
This time, his name figures in the tentative list of Chief Civil Surgeons from whom willingness is being sought for inclusion in the 2026–27 panel for promotion to the post of Joint Director of Health Services (JDHS).
According to sources in the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS), who spoke on condition of anonymity, Dr Prasad is widely perceived to have maintained close ties with politicians across party lines.
Several reports alleged that he enjoyed the confidence of influential leaders from both the AIADMK and the DMK, spanning different administrations.
When South First spoke to doctors in the medical fraternity, complaints surfaced one after another. It was not just medical professionals who raised concerns. Over the years, political organisations, including the CPI(M), have also levelled allegations against him.
In 2022, the CPI(M) submitted a complaint to the chief minister alleging Dr Prasad, who served as Resident Medical Officer at the Ayanavaram ESI Hospital between 2016 and March 2019 and later as the in-charge Hospital Superintendent, had been appointed in violation of government rules and guidelines during the AIADMK regime.
The complaint further alleged irregularities during the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed that he had misused Central Government ESI residential quarters earmarked for medical purposes. It sought his suspension and a formal inquiry.
The issue did not remain confined to party correspondence. CPI(M) MLA M Chinnadurai raised the matter on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, urging the government to initiate action against the official.
Following these complaints, an inquiry was conducted in May 2022. According to its findings, the problems at the Ayanavaram ESI Hospital were attributed to internal group rivalry and competition for administrative positions. Subsequently, the government transferred Dr Prasad to the Government Hospital in Tiruttani.
Yet, according to doctors, the transfer barely lasted.
“He did not even spent a few days in Tiruttani before securing another transfer back to Chennai,” one doctor alleged. “In our view, it reflected the extent of his political influence.”
The allegations did not stop there. Ravikumar, a Dalit office assistant who worked at the Ayanavaram ESI Hospital, alleged that the doctor had repeatedly subjected him to caste-based verbal abuse. Complaints relating to the matter have reportedly reached the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Sources in the medical fraternity also alleged that there were several other complaints relating to administrative irregularities and misconduct against the officer.
Against this backdrop, the recently circulated communication relating to the 2026–27 JDHS panel has once again raised eyebrows.
The document was not a promotion order. Rather, it initiated the process of preparing the 2026–27 promotion panel.
It directed all departments to obtain willingness from eligible Chief Civil Surgeons and submit confidential reports, self-assessment reports, vigilance clearance, disciplinary records, punishment details and complete service histories from 1 January 2021 onwards before forwarding any recommendation to the government.
In effect, the exercise was meant to scrutinise an official’s overall service record before promotion.
Despite these scrutiny requirements, Dr Prasad’s name appeared among the 105 Chief Civil Surgeons identified for consideration.
His inclusion surprised many within the medical community. Previous promotions he had received during the AIADMK regime attracted allegations of procedural irregularities.
Although action had been initiated against him following the 2022 inquiry, his reappearance on the latest panel has left many questioning how his name has once again found a place on the list.
“He has used political influence to play many games in the past. If he is promoted again, imagine the situation for the doctors and healthcare staff working under him. It is worrying. There are serious concerns about the working environment,” a doctor said on the condition of anonymity.
The panel notification specifically required authorities to furnish each officer’s complete record from 2021 onwards, including conduct, service history, confidential reports, self-assessment reports and details of any disciplinary or vigilance proceedings.
It has led doctors and social activists to ask: if an officer who faced multiple complaints and disciplinary proceedings in 2022 can still find a place in the 2026 promotion panel, what exactly is the scrutiny process meant to achieve?
For many of them, the answer now lies with the C Joseph Vijay government, which came to power promising a “clean government.” Their demand is simple: if that promise is to carry any weight, the government must ensure that officers who had faced disciplinary proceedings or serious allegations were subjected to thorough scrutiny before being considered for higher office.
Otherwise, critics said, governments may change, but the familiar faces in the corridors of power would remain the same.
