CENTRAL HEALTH SERVICE

CENTRAL HEALTH SERVICE

Although the Central Health Service(CHS) Rules were notified in the year 1959, the

Central Health Service was actually constituted after notification of CHS Rules, 1963 in the

year 1963. It was constituted with a view to manage various medical posts under the

Central Government, Union Territories and certain other organizations. The Service was

declared a Group ‘A’ Central Service in 1973. It was restructured in 1982 and divided into

four sub cadres viz. Teaching Specialists, Non Teaching Specialists, Public Health

Specialists and General Duty Medical Officer. Since its inception, a number of participating

units like ESIC, NDMC, MCD, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura and Goa etc. having

formed their own cadres, have gone out of this service. Presently it provides medical

manpower to various participating units like Directorate General of Health Services,

Central Government Health Scheme, Government of NCT of Delhi, Department of Labour,

Department of Posts and Assam Rifles etc.. However, recently Ministry of Labour (

Labour Welfare Organization) and Assam Rifles under Ministry of Home affairs have also

opted out of Central Health Service partially. Simultaneously, some of the participating

units like Central Government Health Scheme have expanded significantly. The Central

Health Service is now governed by Central Health Service Rules, 1996 and the present

strength of each sub-cadre is as under:-

I. General Duty Medical Officer sub-cadre - 3139

ii) Teaching Specialists sub-cadre - 638

iii) Non-Teaching Specialists sub-cadre - 780

iv) Public Health Specialists sub-cadre - 078

In addition there are 13 posts in the Higher Administrative Grade, which are common to all

the four sub cadres.

Being a Group ‘A’ Service, all recruitment to CHS is done through Union Public Service

Commission. Recruitment to posts of General Duty Medical Officer sub cadre is made on

the basis of result of Combined Medical Service Examination, which is conducted by UPSC

every year. For posts of other sub cadres, candidates are selected by the UPSC on the basis

of their interview. Generally the entry levels in the four sub cadres are as under;

(a) Teaching sub cadre

(i) Super Speciality -- Associate Professor.

(ii) Other than Super Speciality -- Assistant Professor

(b) Non Teaching sub cadre -- Specialist Grade II

(c) Public Health sub cadre -- Specialist Grade II

(d) General Duty Medical Officer sub cadre -- Medical Officer