The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has told Parliament that nearly one-third of faculty positions remain unfilled at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences across India. In reply to a query from Lok Sabha member Murari Lal Meena of Dausa regarding vacant sanctioned posts in various AIIMS, Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav stated that for 2026-27, 2,181 of 6,304 approved faculty posts in 20 institutes are empty. Likewise, 15,159 of 59,225 sanctioned non-faculty posts, exceeding 25 percent, are unoccupied. At AIIMS New Delhi, 436 of 1,313 faculty posts stand vacant while 2,461 of 13,913 non-faculty posts are unfilled. Overall vacancy rates have improved, with faculty positions dropping from 39.22 percent in 2023-24 to 34.6 percent in 2026-27 and non-faculty rates falling from 39.19 percent to 25.6 percent. The government noted that post creation and recruitment form an ongoing process influenced by factors such as qualified candidates, reservation rules and institute location. Measures include standing selection committees, contract engagement of retired faculty up to age 70 and a visiting faculty scheme. Recruitment tests such as NORCET, CRE and INI-CET are also conducted regularly.
