Last updated: March 19, 2023, 5:29 PM IST
According to Ministry records, of the sanctioned posts of 4,026, only 2,259 posts have been filled in the 18 new AIIMS (file photo)
About 44 percent of faculty posts are vacant in 18 new AIIMS with AIIMS Rajkot having the lowest with only 40 faculties out of the sanctioned 183 posts
The Union Ministry of Health is exploring the possibility of introducing a centralized recruitment for faculty and non-faculty at various AIIMS across India to address the shortage of staff at these leading health institutions.
A committee consisting of Dr. UK Paul, Member (Health) NITI Aayog; Additional Secretary, PMSSY, Ministry of Health; and Director, AIIMS, New Delhi has been established in this regard. ”Following the meeting of the Central Institute Body (CIB) held on January 8 at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, with a view to strengthening the process of recruitment of teachers and non-faculties in various AIIMS, including exploring the possibility of centralized recruitment to enter, the commission is constituted,” said an order issued on February 28.
About 44 percent of faculty posts are vacant in 18 new AIIMS, with AIIMS Rajkot having the lowest with only 40 faculties out of the sanctioned 183 posts, the ministry told the Lok Sabha last year.
AIIMS Rajkot is followed by AIIMS Vijaypur and AIIMS Gorakhpur with the lowest number of faculties relative to the number of posts sanctioned.
Adequate faculty posts have been approved by the government for all newly established All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for teaching MBBS students, the ministry said.
”The central recruitment system will make the appointment process of faculties and non-faculties more transparent and smoother. Moreover, it will also facilitate their easy transfer from one AIIMS to another. Currently, these individual AIIMS recruit their own personnel. We have seen talented doctors reluctant to take up positions outside their country of residence or in hard-to-reach areas,” explained an official source.
According to ministry records, of the sanctioned posts of 4,026, only 2,259 posts have been filled in the 18 new AIIMS.
Listing the facilities facilitated to increase faculty strength in the newly established AIIMS, the ministry stated in its response that a Permanent Selection Committee (SSC) has been established in each new AIIMS to ensure rapid filling of vacancies and the superstructure possible. age limit for direct recruitment for the positions of professor and additional professor has been raised from 50 to 58 years.
Permission has also been granted for hiring of serving faculties of government medical colleges/institutes on the basis of deputation, contractual involvement of retired faculties of government medical colleges/institutes up to age 70 is also allowed and foreign Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders may be appointed to faculty positions.
In addition, a scheme for guest faculties has been established to enable national and international teachers to work in the newly established AIIMS for teaching and academic purposes. Temporary redirection of faculty posts is allowed on loan from one department to another which can be filled on a contract basis and an advertisement has been posted for recruitment with a validity period of one year to facilitate the process of filling vacancies accelerate.
Besides, AIIMS Delhi, six new AIIMS – Bihar (Patna), Chhattisgarh (Raipur), Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Odisha (Bhubaneswar), Rajasthan (Jodhpur) and Uttarakhand (Rishikesh) – were approved under Phase 1 of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and are fully functional.
Of the 16 AIIMS established between 2015 and 2022, MBBS classes and outpatient services have been initiated in 10 institutes, while MBBS-only classes have been initiated in two more. The other four institutes are in various stages of development.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed)