State’s top Cardiology Department at GRH chokes under severe staff shortage
The Cardiology Department at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai is facing a severe staffing crisis despite handling a high volume of critical procedures. Experts note that the department is significantly understaffed compared to its patient load.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic healthcare infrastructure challenges in public hospitals and the strain on medical professionals in high-demand departments.
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.
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