Officials said the initiative forms part of a broader ₹16.08-crore plan to strengthen the state’s four-tiered cancer care structure.
Published Nov 08, 2025 | 1:03 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 08, 2025 | 1:03 AM
Cancer.
Synopsis: The Tamil Nadu government sanctioned 59 cancer care posts across 16 tertiary care hospitals under its Cancer Care Mission. While doctors’ associations have welcomed the government’s focus on cancer care, they cautioned that diverting existing posts could stretch staffing in other departments.
The Tamil Nadu government sanctioned 59 cancer care posts across 16 tertiary care hospitals under its Cancer Care Mission. The Health Department said it is part of a larger effort to make oncology treatment more accessible and decentralised across the state.
On paper, this is a strong signal: Cancer care will no longer be locked within a few major metros. However, doctors said the posts are not entirely new but redeployed from existing departments, raising questions around how departments already managing heavy caseloads will absorb the hit.
According to the government order issued on 3 November, the new posts will be distributed among the medical, surgical, and radiation oncology departments in tertiary hospitals, with most centres receiving at least three specialists each.
The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) has been permitted to repurpose an equal number of positions from other institutions under its control.
Officials said the initiative forms part of a broader ₹16.08-crore plan to strengthen the state’s four-tiered cancer care structure, from the State Apex Centre to district-level facilities and reduce mortality through timely diagnosis and treatment.
While doctors’ associations have welcomed the government’s focus on cancer care, they cautioned that diverting existing posts, particularly those of Junior Residents (JRs), could stretch staffing in other departments.
Dr P Saminathan, president of the Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association, said the association had urged the Health Department not to withdraw JR posts but to reassign them based on patient load.
He noted that Tamil Nadu already has about 570 JR posts across 36 medical colleges, and redeployment could lead to staff shortages elsewhere.
“Creating cancer care posts is a positive step that will help patients receive treatment closer to home,” he said, adding that new recruitments would have been a more sustainable option.
Meanwhile, speaking to South First, Dr S Subbiah Shanmugam, Vice President of the Indian Association of Surgical Oncology and senior professor of surgical oncology in the state government service, described the decision as “an appreciable and beneficial step” to expand cancer services across Tamil Nadu.
He said the cancer burden was rising sharply in developing countries due to lifestyle changes, pollution, and environmental exposure, and that comprehensive cancer care now requires multidisciplinary expertise.
“Gone are the days when general physicians or surgeons could manage cancer. Today, you need coordinated teams of surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists,” he said.
On the criticism around redeploying posts, Dr Subbiah said the government was unlikely to have removed vital posts without careful analysis.
“The government would have done its due diligence. No administration would take a step that harms patient care,” he said, adding that the new oncology departments would also serve as training and teaching centres, helping develop future specialists across the state.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
