New Delhi: The government has revealed that 13 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are grappling with a shortfall in faculty appointments. While over 1,400 posts across various categories—including Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors—have been filled, more than 1,000 sanctioned posts remain vacant. These appointments follow the Central Government’s reservation guidelines covering UR, OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday said that faculty recruitment is carried out once posts are sanctioned and that reservation rosters are maintained as per government guidelines. The update came in response to a question on the total number of posts created and appointments made in new AIIMS institutions established since 2014.

Status of faculty recruitment in AIIMS institutes

AIIMS Nagpur reported the highest number of sanctioned teaching posts at 347, of which 219 have been filled. This was followed by AIIMS Kalyani with 259 sanctioned posts and 148 filled, and AIIMS Mangalagiri with 233 sanctioned posts and 135 filled.

AIIMS Madurai had 50 faculty members appointed out of 157 sanctioned posts — one of the lowest among the listed institutes.

AIIMS campuses in Darbhanga, Awantipora, and Rewari are in the initial stage of establishment and no recruitment of faculty has been made so far in these three institutes.

Contractual appointments and tenure

The tenure for contractual faculty and staff in these institutes ranges from six months to two years, or until permanent appointments are made.

AIIMS Bilaspur had the highest number of contractual employees at 153, which includes both faculty and non-faculty members, accounting for 8.85% of its sanctioned posts. AIIMS Gorakhpur reported 138 contractual staff, forming 8.09% of its total sanctioned strength. AIIMS Vijaypur had 113 such appointments, amounting to 7.56%.

Other institutes such as AIIMS Bhatinda, Deoghar, Raebareli, and Madurai had smaller numbers of contractual employees. AIIMS Kalyani reported no contractual appointments at all.

Breakdown of faculty by category

Across the new AIIMS institutes, faculty appointments have been made in all reservation categories.

AIIMS Nagpur recorded the highest number of general category faculty at 130, followed by AIIMS Kalyani with 122 and AIIMS Mangalagiri with 95. The lowest appointments in this category were at AIIMS Madurai with 28, AIIMS Rajkot with 54, and AIIMS Gorakhpur with 61.

For the SC category, AIIMS Nagpur recorded the highest with 28 appointments, followed by 17 each at AIIMS Bhatinda, Deoghar, Mangalagiri, and Vijaypur. The lowest numbers were seen at AIIMS Rajkot with just 3 appointments, while AIIMS Kalyani and AIIMS Madurai reported 10 each.

In the ST category, AIIMS Guwahati topped the list with 12 appointments, followed by AIIMS Bhatinda with 11 and AIIMS Nagpur with 9. AIIMS Madurai reported no appointments, while AIIMS Rajkot had 2 and AIIMS Kalyani 3.

In the OBC category, AIIMS Nagpur recorded the highest with 51 appointments, followed by AIIMS Kalyani with 35, and both AIIMS Bhatinda and Deoghar with 29 each. On the lower end, AIIMS Rajkot and Vijaypur had 17 appointments each, while AIIMS Madurai reported 20.

For the EWS category, AIIMS Bhatinda had the highest number of appointments at 17, followed by AIIMS Nagpur with 16 and AIIMS Bilaspur with 12. The lowest figures were reported in AIIMS Deoghar, Guwahati, Kalyani, Madurai, and Rajkot — all of which had no appointments under this category.

Retired officials appointed post-superannuation

The government also shared details about retired officials re-engaged as faculty or consultants. AIIMS Vijaypur had the highest number with six retired personnel, all from the general category.

AIIMS Guwahati and AIIMS Nagpur each had one retired official working in contractual roles. Other institutes reported no such appointments.