Thiruvananthapuram: To curb the practice of unauthorized leave, the Kerala Health Department has taken stringent action against 36 government doctors who were absent from duty without proper authorization. Among them, 33 doctors were dismissed by the Director of Health Services, while three were removed by the Director of Medical Education.

Disciplinary action will be likely taken against 17 more doctors, who have not responded to show-cause notices issued by the department. The decision to dismiss these doctors came after they failed to provide an explanation for their prolonged absence. The department suspects that many of them may have taken up employment in the private sector or moved abroad.

According to Dr KJ Reena, over 600 doctors under the Directorate of Health Services are currently absent from service without proper authorization. This includes individuals who have been missing from service since as far back as 2008. The dismissed personnel were serving in roles such as Junior Consultant, Assistant Surgeon, and Casualty Medical Officer.

Under the Directorate of Medical Education, 337 individuals, including doctors, have been absent from medical colleges without authorization. Show-cause notices have already been issued to 291 of them. To address the shortage of doctors, the Public Service Commission (PSC) recently advised the recruitment of 114 candidates, and the Director of Health Services has issued appointment orders accordingly. The salary scale for positions like Casualty Medical Officer and Assistant Surgeon ranges from ₹63,700 to ₹1,23,700.