Nearly 44% faculty posts in 18 new AIIMS lying vacant; lowest at AIIMS Rajkot: health ministry

NEW DELHI: Nearly 44 percent of the faculty posts are lying vacant in 18 new All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), the ministry of health and family welfare told the Lok Sabha. Of all the new medical institutes, AIIMS Rajkot has the lowest number with just 40 doctors employed.

According to the data shared by the ministry, AIIMS Vijaypur and AIIMS Gorakhpur have the second and third lowest number of faculties compared to the sanctioned number of posts. The government, however, said that adequate faculty posts have been sanctioned by the Centre for all newly created AIIMS for teaching MBBS students. Against the sanctioned strength of 4,026, only 2,259 posts have been filled in the 18 new AIIMS, the data showed.

To ensure that the posts are filled, a standing selection committee (SSC) has been constituted in each new AIIMS to facilitate expeditious filling up of vacancies, it informed.

Apart from the setting up of the committee, the health ministry has also increased the age limit for AIIMS recruitment. The upper age limit for direct recruitment against the posts of Professor and Additional Professor has been raised from 50 years to 58 years. Contractual engagement of retired faculty of government medical colleges up to 70 years of age has also been allowed.

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The government has also granted permission for taking serving faculty from Government Medical Colleges on deputation basis.

Additionally, it has allowed Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders to be appointed to faculty positions. It has also formulated a visiting faculty scheme to allow national and international faculty to work in newly set up AIIMS for teaching and academic purposes.

To expedite the recruitment process, advertisement for recruitment with one-year validity has been put in place in addition to filling up vacancies on contractual basis, the health ministry said.

Number of faculty post in newly created AIIMS