Faculty shortages continue in six All India Institute Of Medical Science

While the government is creating more All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) across the country, the six AIIMS after a decade of existence still have a faculty shortage.

Currently, there are 23 All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) campuses in India, out of which 19 are functional and the rest are under construction. The six AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh have faculty shortages even after a decade of existence.

When the Central government is on a spree to open more such institutes to provide quality and affordable healthcare services to the people, one relevant question arises how the issue of faculty shortage will be tackled in all these institutes.

The Union Health Ministry has admitted in the Parliament that these institutes are not getting enough competent professors to teach in such high-quality colleges. Amid this issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call to set up more medical colleges in the private sector in the backdrop of scores of Indian medical students returning from the war-hit country Ukraine.

AIIMS Patna faces maximum faculty shortage

Hundreds of posts of senior residents, junior residents and thousands of other non-faculty posts also remain vacant at these six AIIMS. However, AIIMS Patna has the maximum shortage of faculties which is nearly 55%. Here, 169 faculty posts out of 305 sanctioned ones, remained vacant as of February 11 followed by AIIMS Raipur which has a 47% deficiency in its faculty strength. In the remaining four, the shortfall is around 30%, as reported by Deccan Herald.

The shortage of senior residents is maximum at AIIMS Raipur (54%) followed by AIIMS Patna (41%), AIIMS Bhubaneswar (38%) and AIIMS Rishikesh (27%). The other two at Bhopal and Jodhpur are relatively better.

There are no junior resident doctors at Jodhpur, Patna and Rishikesh while Raipur has four. Bhopal and Bhubaneswar units have some junior doctors but the number is far less than the sanctioned strength of 351 such staff in each of the institutes. 

“As high standards have to be maintained in selection, keeping in view the stature of these institutes of national importance, all the advertised positions could not be filled up,” said Bharati Pravin Pawar, the minister of state in the Union Health Ministry. 

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