National Medical Commission Issues Urgent Directive to Address Doctor Shortage
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has taken a decisive step to tackle the escalating crisis of doctor shortages across India. In a recent public notice, the NMC has called upon all states and Union Territories to launch immediate recruitment drives aimed at filling vacant posts in medical teaching services. This directive comes in response to observations made by the Patna High Court, which highlighted the severe impact of faculty shortages on the healthcare system.
Patna High Court's Stern Warning and NMC's Response
The Patna High Court has expressed grave concerns over the functioning of medical institutions due to insufficient faculty. The court noted that compelling medical officers and faculty members to work continuously for 24 to 48 hours without adequate breaks could exacerbate the already strained healthcare infrastructure. In its notice, the NMC emphasized the need for expeditious implementation of the court's directives, preferably within a six-month timeframe. The commission has addressed this communication to the Additional Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Medical Education Departments nationwide, urging them to take necessary actions without delay.
Haryana's Healthcare System Under Severe Strain
In Haryana, the shortage of doctors has reached a critical point, drawing attention from political leaders and healthcare experts alike. Congress MLA Aditya Surjewala from Kaithal recently raised this issue in the state Assembly, warning that "Health services in Haryana are crumbling." According to data provided by the government to Surjewala, out of 4,040 sanctioned posts for doctors in the state's Health Department, only 2,971 are currently filled. This leaves a staggering 1,069 positions vacant across various districts.
District-wise vacancies include:
- Karnal: 136 vacancies
- Hisar: 101 vacancies
- Yamunanagar: 96 vacancies
- Ambala: 91 vacancies
- Jind: 89 vacancies
- Kaithal: 81 vacancies
- Fatehabad: 77 vacancies
- Kurukshetra: 64 vacancies
- Panipat: 61 vacancies
- Sonepat: 59 vacancies
- Sirsa: 58 vacancies
Despite these gaps, the state is currently managing health services with only 1,075 specialists, further highlighting the urgency of the situation.
Teaching Faculty Crisis at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences Rohtak
The shortage extends beyond general healthcare into medical education, with over 40% of sanctioned Group-A teaching posts lying vacant at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences Rohtak (UHSR). This institution oversees the Rohtak Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) and its constituent colleges. Official data reveals that out of 1,018 sanctioned Group-A teaching positions, 424 remain unfilled, while only 594 are occupied.
The crisis is particularly acute in key departments:
- Medicine: Nearly 50% of Associate Professor and Professor posts are vacant, with only 13 out of 25 sanctioned positions filled.
- Surgery: 26 sanctioned positions, with just 12 filled, leaving 14 vacancies.
- Orthopaedics: 14 sanctioned posts, 10 filled.
- Paediatrics: 10 sanctioned posts, seven filled.
- Obstetrics & Gynaecology: 26 posts with 21 filled and five vacant.
Senior Professor positions are similarly affected, with 18 out of 61 posts vacant. Key departments show significant gaps, including three vacancies in medicine, two in orthopaedics, and one each in surgery, paediatrics, and obstetrics & gynaecology. This reflects a serious staffing crisis that threatens both the quality of medical education and healthcare services.
Assistant Professor Posts Face Severe Shortfall
Assistant Professor positions are also experiencing a severe shortfall. Of 291 sanctioned posts, only 167 are filled, leaving 124 vacancies. A senior UHSR faculty member disclosed that no regular appointments have been made to teaching posts at the university for over three years. During this period, several senior faculty members have retired or resigned, while the patient load at PGIMS, Rohtak, has increased significantly.
The faculty member explained, "Initially, recruitments were put on hold only for state universities under the Higher Education Department, but this restriction was later extended to UHSR. The government has been repeatedly approached for permission to fill vacant posts at the university level, but approval is still pending. In contrast, recruitment for universities under the Higher Education Department was granted in 2025." He further claimed that while teaching faculty posts were recently filled at neighbouring Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, no such permission had been granted to UHSR, reflecting an 'indifferent' attitude.
Voices from the Ground: Academic and Healthcare Impacts
Dr HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor of UHSR, acknowledged that the shortage of teaching faculty has adversely affected both academic activities and healthcare services at PGIMS, Rohtak. He has requested the government to grant permission to UHSR to fill all vacant posts at the earliest. Dr Ranbir Dahiya, a retired professor from UHSR and co-convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (Haryana), emphasized the broader implications of this crisis.
Dr Dahiya stated, "Not only at PGIMS, Rohtak, but sanctioned posts across all government medical colleges in the state remain vacant. The medical system is going haywire as the number of MBBS seats is being increased without a corresponding rise in teaching faculty. One can easily gauge the impact this will have on the quality of doctors produced." He criticized the state government for focusing on increasing MBBS seats without recruiting adequate teaching staff, instead of strengthening basic healthcare facilities and providing free medicines and tests at district hospitals.
Contractual Hiring and Future Concerns
Dr Dahiya highlighted the reliance on contractual hiring, noting that many eligible candidates are reluctant to accept such positions due to lack of job security and benefits. "Even those who do join often leave when they receive better offers from private hospitals or medical colleges," he said. He warned that the medical system could crumble if the government does not fill all posts through regular recruitment and strengthen basic healthcare services at the district level.
He pointed out that the vacant sanctioned posts were created long ago, and with patient load and workload having increased manifold, the number of posts should also be increased accordingly. The combination of unfilled positions and growing demands poses a significant threat to India's healthcare infrastructure, underscoring the urgency of the NMC's directive and the need for immediate action from state governments.
