Hyderabad: Two prominent doctors’ associations in Telangana have come out strongly against the state government’s proposal to appoint Group 1 and Group 2 officers as administrators in government and teaching hospitals, warning that the move could do more harm than good to public healthcare.

The Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) and the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA), in separate statements, argued that running a hospital is nothing like running a government office, and that handing administrative reins to generalist bureaucrats fundamentally misunderstands what hospital management actually involves.

“Government hospital administration is directly linked with patient care, clinical decision-making, emergency response, infection control and healthcare delivery systems,” the HRDA said in its press note. “Such responsibilities require clinical knowledge and hands-on experience in patient care, which general administrative training alone cannot provide.”

The TTGDA pointed out that no major teaching hospital system in the country, including the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) hospitals, follows the bureaucrat-administrator model. 

Globally, doctor-led administration has consistently delivered results, the association said, citing institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as examples.

Both groups also pushed back against a “widespread misconception that doctors cannot be effective administrators.” HRDA noted that hospital administration is a recognised medical specialty and that there is an MD Hospital Administration postgraduate programme specifically designed to produce qualified medical administrators. Many doctors have already completed this qualification and are fully capable of managing government hospitals, the association said. 

It also pointed to Additional Director of Medical Education (DME) cadre professors, who have proven their effectiveness as administrators in medical colleges and teaching hospitals, as evidence that the existing framework, when empowered, works.

At teaching hospitals specifically, the TTGDA flagged a more immediate structural problem of superintendents and principals currently having limited administrative and financial powers, which restricts their ability to manage institutions effectively. The fix, the association said, is not to bring in outside officers but to give existing medical leadership, including Superintendents, Resident Medical Officers (RMO) and senior faculty, the authority and autonomy they need to function.

HRDA said if the proposal goes through, it will lead to parallel administrative structures, diluted authority, conflicts in decision-making, delays in patient-care-related actions and an ultimate impact on healthcare delivery itself.

Both organisations demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposal.