Delhi AYUSH Colleges Reeling Under Faculty Shortage? Here's what CAG Report said

New Delhi: The AYUSH medical colleges based in the National Capital are reeling under a shortage of teaching faculties, revealed the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's report on "Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services" for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Delhi has four AYUSH medical colleges which offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Ayurveda, Unani, and Homeopathy. These four colleges include A&U Tibbia College (having an intake capacity of 158 UG and 31 PG seats), Dr. BR Sur Homoeopathic Medical College (having 63 UG seats), Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College (having 125 UG and 9 PG seats) and Choudhary Brahm Parkash Ayurvedic Charak Sansthan (having 125 UG and 51 PG seats).

However, the CAG report revealed that these AYUSH colleges were reeling under a huge shortage of faculties. As of March 2022, there is a shortage of 75% for the posts of principal, 63% for the posts of Professors, 71% for the posts of Associate Professors/Readers, and 27% for the posts of Assistant Professors.

The undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy are offered in the Delhi colleges as per the student intake capacity given in the following table:

Student intake in AYUSH Medical Colleges:

"The post of Principal remained vacant in three out of four colleges. There was overall shortage 63 per cent of Professors, 71 per cent of Associate Professors and 27 per cent of Assistant Professors in the medical colleges. There were 100 per cent vacancies of Professor and Associate Professor in A & U Tibbia College," mentioned the CAG report.

Further, the audit revealed the following points:

• Though the seats for students were enhanced from 128 to 158 (25 per cent) from academic session 2019-20 in A & U Tibbia College, teaching staff was not increased proportionate to the increased number of seats.

• It was noticed that in place of regular faculty, 15 General Duty Medical Officers were deployed for teaching purpose in SHMC. Shortage of teaching staff in medical colleges may adversely impact on the quality of medical education and also on healthcare delivery. The Government stated (December 2023) that the process of filling of vacant posts has already been undertaken in Homoeopathic wing. In the case of Ayurveda and Unani wings, medical officers and pharmacists have joined the department and the remaining vacant posts have been notified to UPSC and DSSB for recruitment.

Referring to these issues, the Audit recommended GNCTD and the Directorate to take immediate measures to fill the vacant posts of medical officer, teaching staff, nurses and paramedical staff.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the CAG report also highlighted that the autonomous super super speciality hospitals across Delhi are reeling under a shortage of teaching faculties.

To deal with the shortage of faculties in autonomous hospitals, the CAG report recommended that the Government review the recruitment norms to make it more attractive for teaching doctors so that a satisfied and consistent workforce of teaching doctors remains available in such hospitals.