24–39 per cent faculty seats vacant in several AIIMS locations: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday, 5 February, said the faculty vacancies in AIIMS and ‘AIIMS-type institutions’ is staggering and urged the government to address the issue on priority without diluting standards.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh flagged the issue of faculty vacancies, citing a reply by health minister J.P. Nadda in the Rajya Sabha.

'Yesterday, an answer to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha of the minister of health and family welfare revealed a most disturbing statistic relating to the seven fully operational AIIMS institutions in the country,' Ramesh said on X.

'The faculty vacancies are 34 per cent in AIIMS New Delhi, 24 per cent in AIIMS Bhopal, 25 per cent in AIIMS Bhubaneswar, 28 per cent in AIIMS Jodhpur, 38 per cent in AIIMS Raipur, 27 per cent in AIIMS Patna and 39 per cent in AIIMS Rishikesh,' he said.

'There are 12 cities where AIIMS-type institutions are partially operational. The faculty shortages are 41 per cent in Mangalgiri, 23 per cent in Nagpur, 39 per cent in Kalyani, 37 per cent in Gorakhpur, 33 per cent in Bathinda, 54 per cent in Bilaspur (HP), 43 per cent in Guwahati, 34 per cent in Deogarh, 36 per cent in Bibinagar (Telangana), 49 per cent in Rae Bareli, 59.5 per cent in Rajkot and 44 per cent in Jammu,' he added.

What is most surprising is the position of the most prestigious AIIMS New Delhi itself, which in many ways is the mother institution, Ramesh said.

'Quality of faculty apart — although questions have been raised about it — the extent of vacancies in faculty positions is staggering,' the Congress leader said.

The health minister must give this issue the highest priority without diluting standards, he asserted.