Despite leading the State with nearly 5,000 critical procedures annually, the Cardiology Department at Government Rajaji Hospital is grappling with a shortage of doctors and nurses.

Established in 1981, the department serves a population of hundreds of thousands across the southern districts surrounding Madurai.

Despite operating for over four decades and experiencing a massive surge in patient volume, the department continues to function with the same skeletal staff of just five assistant professors and one associate professor.

Sources reported that while Chennai’s six government hospitals house the vast majority of cardiac surgeons and doctors, crucial peripheral government hospitals have received less than 25% of their required staffing strength.

Aware of the severe shortage, hospital doctors familiar with the situation explained that given the massive daily patient volume, the department requires a minimum of 12 doctors—including three associate professors and seven assistant professors—to function effectively.

Handling nearly 1.23 lakh outpatients and 4,000 inpatients annually, the overwhelming patient volume places an immense burden on the already overextended doctors, pushing them far beyond their capacity despite their willingness to help.

Addressing the situation, R.R. Saravanan, Head of the Department of Cardiology, stated that despite the ongoing staff shortage, the department recorded nearly 1.91 lakh admissions and non-invasive procedures, alongside 7,673 interventional and cath lab procedures, over the past 18 months.

Some of the complicated procedures like Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) closure, Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) closure, Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) closure, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), which were done in the hospital for more than 250 patients in the one-year period could not be compared with any other hospitals, he noted.

Dr. Saravanan further noted that the department performed nearly 1.20 lakh electrocardiograms (ECGs) and 82,000 echoes in the previous year alone, apart from the rare procedures and surgeries.

Sources revealed that the hospital currently employed zero government-appointed technicians for its advanced X-ray imaging cath labs.

To bridge this gap, the hospital has outsourced six technicians at a modest monthly salary of ₹18,000, funded through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).

Consequently, doctors must manage three separate cath labs—two in the old building and one in the new JICA tower block—with this team of just six technicians.

Due to the acute staff shortage, technicians—who are exposed to high-powered X-ray radiation daily and are normally entitled to a mandatory annual month-long break to mitigate health risks—have been forced to forgo their leave entirely.

This is not just inhumane but also dangerous to the staff who have been under the radiation throughout the day, they noted.

Dr. Saravanan expressed his belief that dedicating a separate building titled “Cardiac Care of Excellence,” complete with the necessary doctors and staff, would resolve the challenges of managing a short-handed team.

Although this proposal has been submitted to the Tamil Nadu government, a final decision and fund allocation are still pending.

Published - July 29, 2026 06:04 pm IST