RTI reveals nearly 40% sanctioned posts vacant across 11 AIIMS, including AIIMS Nagpur
Nagpur: Alarmed by revelations under the Right to Information (RTI) Act that nearly 40 percent of sanctioned faculty posts are lying vacant across 11 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), including AIIMS Nagpur, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and directed that it be registered as a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The issue came to light after RTI data showed that AIIMS Nagpur is functioning with 36.7 percent vacancies, with 137 out of 373 sanctioned faculty posts remaining unfilled. Similar shortages were reported across other AIIMS institutions, raising serious concerns about healthcare delivery and medical education amid an increasing patient load.
RTI replies further revealed that out of a total of 4,099 sanctioned faculty positions across 11 AIIMS, nearly 1,600 posts are vacant. The shortage spans both older, well-established AIIMS as well as newly set-up institutes, affecting specialist services, patient care, surgeries, intensive care units and academic training.
Taking note of the gravity of the situation, the Nagpur bench observed that such large-scale vacancies have a direct bearing on public health services. The court remarked that institutions like AIIMS are meant to provide high-quality healthcare and medical education, and persistent shortages in faculty strength are a matter of serious public concern.
The division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode noted that the shortage of doctors and professors was adversely impacting patient treatment, availability of specialised services and the overall standard of medical education. The court, therefore, directed that the issue be formally treated as a PIL.
As per reports, senior counsel and former Chhattisgarh Advocate General JK Gilda has been appointed as amicus curiae to assist the court, while advocate Shaunakh Kothekar has been asked to prepare and file the petition. Advocate Mugdha Chandurkar appeared on behalf of the Union government, and Additional Government Pleader Deepak Thakare represented the State government during the hearing.
The problem is not limited to Nagpur. At AIIMS Delhi, the country’s oldest and largest AIIMS and a national referral centre, as many as 524 faculty posts out of 1,306 sanctioned positions are vacant across major departments such as medicine, surgery, anaesthesia, paediatrics, neurology, oncology and emergency care.
Several newer AIIMS are facing even more acute shortages. AIIMS Jodhpur is reportedly the worst affected, with 46.7 percent vacancies (189 out of 405 posts). AIIMS Gorakhpur has a shortfall of 45.5 percent, AIIMS Jammu 44.3 percent, while more than 40 percent of posts remain vacant at AIIMS Kalyani and AIIMS Bilaspur.
Other AIIMS are also grappling with significant gaps, though to a relatively lesser extent. AIIMS Bathinda is operating with a 37.4 percent shortfall, AIIMS Raipur with 34.8 percent vacancies, AIIMS Bhubaneswar with 26 percent, and AIIMS Bhopal with 25.6 percent vacant faculty posts. The matter is expected to be taken up for further hearing soon.
