Health Ministry says 2,181 faculty and 15,159 non-faculty posts remain vacant in AIIMS for 2026-27; AIIMS New Delhi records the highest vacancies
The Central Government has informed Parliament that a total of 2,181 faculty posts and 15,159 non-faculty posts are lying vacant across 20 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) against a sanctioned strength of 6,304 faculty posts and 59,225 non-faculty posts during the academic year 2026-27.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha regarding vacancies, their impact on healthcare delivery and medical education, and the government’s recruitment strategy.
According to the data, AIIMS New Delhi has the highest number of vacancies, with 436 faculty posts and 2,461 non-faculty posts remaining unfilled despite having the largest sanctioned workforce among all AIIMS.
Among the newer AIIMS, AIIMS Patna reported 88 faculty and 1,103 non-faculty vacancies, followed by AIIMS Raipur with 92 faculty and 1,068 non-faculty vacancies, AIIMS Bhubaneswar with 99 faculty and 1,045 non-faculty vacancies, and AIIMS Rishikesh with 127 faculty and 973 non-faculty vacancies.
Other institutes also continue to face significant shortages. AIIMS Madurai has 108 faculty and 939 non-faculty vacancies, AIIMS Jodhpur has 184 faculty and 695 non-faculty vacancies, AIIMS Guwahati has 64 faculty and 685 non-faculty vacancies, while AIIMS Rajkot, Deoghar, Kalyani, Gorakhpur, Nagpur, Bibinagar, Mangalagiri, Bilaspur, Raebareli, Bathinda, and Jammu also reported substantial vacancies across various categories.
Responding to concerns over the impact of these vacancies on patient care, diagnostics, medical education and hospital administration, Jadhav said that creation of posts and recruitment is a continuous and dynamic process. He added that filling vacant positions depends on several factors, including the availability of suitable and qualified candidates, reservation rosters and the geographical location of individual AIIMS.
The Minister informed the House that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced several measures to accelerate recruitment across AIIMS. These include the constitution of Standing Selection Committees in every institute for faculty appointments, engagement of retired professors, additional professors and associate professors on contract up to the age of 70 years in new AIIMS, and the implementation of a Visiting Faculty Scheme to attract experienced faculty from premier institutions in India and abroad.
He further said that AIIMS New Delhi conducts the Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET) for recruitment of nursing officers across AIIMS. The institute also conducts the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) for Group B and Group C non-faculty posts twice every year.
For resident doctor recruitment, Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) is conducted twice annually for Junior Residents, while the Institute of National Importance Super Speciality (INI-SS) examination is held twice a year for Senior Resident recruitment.
Highlighting efforts to improve patient services despite manpower shortages, the Minister said AIIMS institutions are adopting several patient-centric initiatives, including expansion of outpatient services, increasing patient registration capacity, online appointment systems, implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)-enabled digital health services, same-day diagnostic investigations, expansion of diagnostic facilities, integrated specialist care and cashless treatment under various government healthcare schemes.
