AIIMS Faculty Shortage: 18,786 Posts Vacant Across 62,021 Sanctioned, Vacancy Rate at 30.29%

The most striking figure comes from AIIMS Awantipora, which has an overwhelming vacancy rate of 99.42%, effectively leaving the institution almost non-functional due to a severe shortage of faculty.

A severe faculty shortage is plaguing several All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) institutions, particularly the newly established ones. Data reveals that institutions like AIIMS Awantipora and AIIMS Madurai have vacancy rates exceeding 90%, posing serious challenges to medical education and patient care.

While India's medical education sector has seen significant expansion in terms of medical seats and new institutions, faculty recruitment remains a pressing issue. This report delves into the extent of vacancies, highlighting disparities between older and newer AIIMS institutions and the urgent need for intervention.

AIIMS with Highest Vacancy Percentages:

The data is based on a reply given by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on shortage of faculty at various AIIMS across the country, which highlights an alarming faculty vacancy crisis across several newly established AIIMS institutions. The five institutions with the highest vacancy percentages are:

AIIMS Location/Name	Vacancy Percentage
Awantipora	99.42%
Madurai	92.6%
Darbhanga	85.71%
Rewari	85.71%
Rajkot	57.97%

The most striking figure comes from AIIMS Awantipora, which has an overwhelming vacancy rate of 99.42%, effectively leaving the institution almost non-functional due to a severe shortage of faculty. AIIMS Madurai follows closely with 92.6% vacancies. This indicates major recruitment challenges in the newer AIIMS institutions, raising concerns about their operational efficiency and impact on medical education.

Overall Statistics:

Total Sanctioned Posts across all AIIMS	62,021
Total Filled Posts	43,235
Total Vacant Posts	18,786
Overall Vacancy Percentage	30.29%

Key Findings:

• Nearly one-third (30.29%) of all sanctioned faculty posts across AIIMS institutions remain unfilled, significantly affecting medical education and patient care.
• The newer AIIMS institutions face the most severe shortages, with some institutions having over 85% vacancy rates.
• Established AIIMS like New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, and Raipur tend to have relatively better faculty recruitment, although vacancies still exist.
• Institutions such as AIIMS Rewari and AIIMS Darbhanga have only 7 sanctioned posts each, highlighting the early stage of their development.

This data underscores the urgent need for faculty recruitment drives, policy interventions, and incentive structures to address the gaps in these newly established AIIMS.

Faculty Posts Sanctioned and Vacant:

AIIMS Location/Name	Total Sanctioned Posts	Vacant Posts
New Delhi	15,578	2,667
Bhopal	4,189	1,115
Bhubaneswar	4,219	1,187
Jodhpur	4,189	819
Raipur	4,189	1,253
Patna	4,189	1,458
Rishikesh	4,450	1,539
Mangalagiri	1,728	555
Nagpur	1,757	387
Kalyani	1,786	715
Gorakhpur	1,529	477
Bathinda	1,833	565
Bilaspur	1,728	731
Guwahati	1,593	847
Deoghar	1,547	622
Bibinagar	1,557	541
Raebareli	1,626	511
Rajkot	1,430	829
Jammu	1,450	599
Madurai	1,094	1,013
Awantipora	346	344
Rewari	7	6
Darbhanga	7	6

Key Observations:

• AIIMS New Delhi has the highest number of sanctioned posts (15,578), but still faces 2,667 vacancies, highlighting persistent staffing gaps even in premier institutions.
• Most established AIIMS (Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Raipur, Patna, Rishikesh) have around 4,000–4,500 sanctioned posts.
• Newer AIIMS institutions have between 1,400–1,800 sanctioned posts, reflecting their early-stage development.
• AIIMS Rewari and AIIMS Darbhanga, with just seven sanctioned posts each, are still in their infancy in terms of operational scale.

MBBS Seats in India: Expansion and Challenges

The Indian government has undertaken a massive expansion in medical education to improve access to healthcare. According to recent data presented in Rajya Sabha:

Year	Medical Colleges	MBBS Seats
2014	387	51,348
2024	780	1,18,137

• A 102% increase in medical colleges and a 130% rise in MBBS seats have been observed since 2014.
• The expansion aims to bridge the doctor-patient ratio and improve healthcare accessibility across regions.

Additionally, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Union Budget 2025 that 10,000 more UG and PG medical seats will be added next year, contributing towards the larger goal of increasing medical seats by 75,000 over the next five years.

Despite this expansion, the faculty shortages at AIIMS institutions remain a major bottleneck. While medical seats continue to rise, the lack of sufficient faculty threatens to impact the quality of medical education and training for future doctors. Addressing these faculty shortages through targeted recruitment drives, financial incentives for medical educators, and streamlined hiring processes is critical to ensuring that this expansion in medical seats translates into a stronger and more effective healthcare system.

The data presents a critical need for immediate faculty recruitment in newly established AIIMS institutions to ensure their smooth functioning. With some institutions facing faculty vacancy rates of over 90%, urgent interventions are needed to prevent disruptions in medical education and patient care. While India’s medical seat expansion has been remarkable, the continued shortages in faculty hiring at AIIMS institutions highlight an important gap that requires policy attention and swift corrective action.

Read More:

• Union Budget 2025: Nirmala Sitharaman Allocates ₹1.28 Lakh Crore for Education; IITs See Surge, IIMs Face 50% Cut
• Union Budget 2025: 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, 6,500 New IIT Seats, 10,000 MBBS Seats and More Announced for Education