ESIC Medical College Admits First MBBS Batch Despite Critical Faculty Shortages
In a concerning development for medical education in the national capital, the newly established medical college at ESIC Model Hospital and PGIMSR in Basaidarapur, Delhi, has commenced operations with its inaugural batch of MBBS students but is functioning without a single professor across its three fundamental pre-clinical departments. The institution, which opened its doors in 2025, is part of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation's ambitious national initiative to enhance medical education and healthcare infrastructure throughout India.
Severe Faculty Deficits Revealed Through RTI Data
Information obtained under the Right to Information Act exposes alarming gaps in faculty staffing. According to Parliament-mandated standards, the combined pre-clinical departments of anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry require a total of 20 faculty and resident positions. This includes three professors, three associate professors, four assistant professors, seven tutors or demonstrators, and three senior residents.
However, the current reality paints a starkly different picture. The institute has no professors at all, only one associate professor, and three assistant professors, with most of these limited appointments being on a contractual basis. The total available faculty strength across these critical departments stands at just 15 individuals.
Department-Wise Breakdown Highlights Critical Gaps
Anatomy Department: This foundational department operates with two assistant professors and four tutors, but critically lacks any professor, associate professor, or senior resident positions filled.
Physiology Department: The situation here is equally troubling, with only one associate professor and one assistant professor, both serving on contractual terms, alongside three tutors. The department has no professor or senior resident.
Biochemistry Department: Perhaps most concerning, this department functions with merely two tutors and two senior residents, with no professor, associate professor, or assistant professor positions occupied.
Infrastructure and Resource Limitations Compound Problems
The faculty crisis is exacerbated by significant infrastructure constraints. The undergraduate boys' hostel provides only seven rooms, while the girls' hostel offers a mere two rooms. Despite these severe limitations, 27 first-year MBBS students from the 2025–26 academic batch have been allocated hostel accommodation.
Teaching resources remain woefully inadequate. The anatomy department currently possesses only three cadavers for undergraduate training purposes. While institute officials claim that physiology and biochemistry laboratories are operational, medical education experts express deep concern about the academic implications of operating without professors and senior faculty during the crucial foundation phase of medical education.
Expert Concerns and Institutional Silence
Medical education specialists emphasize that pre-clinical departments form the essential academic foundation of any MBBS program. "Operating these departments without professors fundamentally weakens medical training at its very inception," stated a senior academician familiar with the situation.
Despite multiple attempts to seek clarification, Dr. Gunjan Gupta, Medical Commissioner (Medical Administration) at ESIC Delhi, remained unavailable for comment. Numerous phone calls and WhatsApp messages directed to her office received no response.
This situation raises serious questions about the quality of medical education being provided at this newly established institution and highlights potential challenges in India's ongoing efforts to expand medical education capacity nationwide.
