Nearly 50% faculty posts in 19 new AIIMS lying vacant: Govt data

NEW DELHI: Nearly 50 percent of the faculty posts are lying vacant in 19 new All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), according to the government data. Union minister of state for health Bharati Pravin Pawar was responding to a question on whether the government has conducted any study to assess the problems being faced by AIIMS in providing timely and high quality treatment to the patients due to the large number of vacancies in various departments.

The Union minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare informed Lok Sabha that the sanctioned strength of faculty recruitment in AIIMS Delhi is 1,131. At present, 720 faculty posts are filled up on a regular basis while 411 regular posts remain vacant. In case of non-faculty posts, 10,439 posts are filled up against the sanctioned strength of 12,558 and 2,119 posts are vacant.

Further, against the sanctioned strength of 1,926 and 1,428 posts of Senior Residents and Junior Residents, 653 and 295 posts respectively are vacant.

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Of the sanctioned 4,209 posts in new AIIMS, a total of 2,136 posts remain vacant, which is 49.2%. AIIMS Madurai has appointed just 8 faculties out of the sanctioned 183 posts, the lowest number of vacancies filled in new AIIMS, as per the data shared by the ministry. Followed by AIIMS Vijaypur and AIIMS Rajkot.

AIIMS Patna has the second highest 173 vacancies followed by AIIMS Raipur and AIIMS Vijaypur which have 152 vacant posts each.

The ministry also said that there is no proposal to provide mandatory employment to all postgraduate (PG) students from AIIMS in the institute itself to augment the staff strength. AIIMS is the most sought-after institution for medical aspirants who clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test undergraduate ( NEET UG ).

Details of faculty and non-faculty posts in new AIIMS (Source: Govt data)

Explaining why vacancies were not filled up despite conducting AIIMS recruitment, the minister said, “recruitment to various positions is done on need basis keeping in view the range of additional services and facilities added.The status of vacant posts at various AIIMS is monitored at various levels by the Government and vacancies are advertised based on requirement. However, 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.”

On whether the government has taken any measures to address the shortage of beds in various AIIMS institutes in the country, the minister informed,”In the 6 AIIMS approved in the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and which are fully functional, the existing bed strength is 5,705 as against envisaged bed strength of 5,760, i.e. 960 beds in each AIIMS.”