RTI Reveals Stagnation in Indian Medical Services Cadre Proposal, Doctors Demand Immediate Action

New Delhi: Over the years, members of the medical fraternity have been urging the Central Government to launch an Indian Medical Service Cadre on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service. Even though the Union Government had expressed its interest to set up a different cadre to especially cater to the need of the healthcare sector, a recent Right to Information (RTI) reply by the Government indicated that there has been no real development in this regard.

Replying to the RTI application filed by Dr. Aman Kaushik, the Central Government revealed that even though a cadre review committee to consider the proposal for a separate IMS cadre was set up in 2015, the said committee failed to meet after 2019.

However, the Government has further informed that the matter is still "under consideration in consultation with all the states/UTs." 

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the long-standing demand for setting up Indian Medical services previously expressed by the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), and later the Indian Medical Association.

Moreover, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, headed by Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, in its 126^th report on Demands for Grants 2021-22 had also expressed its views in favor of exploring the possibilities of setting up such exclusive Service aiming to bring a major change in the healthcare sector across the country.

Also Read: Parliamentary Committee calls for setting up Separate Indian Medical Services Cadre

Keeping in mind the incredible role of Corona warriors during combating the vicissitude of coronavirus, the Committee in its report dated 08.03.2021 opined that the present moment holds the golden opportunity to explore the possibility of organizing Indian medical services in order to create a specialized task force for implementation of the flagship program relating to health.

To know about any possible developments in this regard, Dr. Aman Kaushik filed an RTI at the Department of Health and Family Welfare on 10.03.2025. Referring to the Government's plans to launch Indian Medical Services cadre like IAS, IPS, Dr. Kaushik pointed out in the RTI how the States were asked to offer their views on the matter.

He also highlighted that the former MoS Health Mr. Ashwani Kumar Chaubey had informed the Lok Sabha that the comments from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Sikkim and Goa, Mizoram, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands had been received till July 2019. While the majority had supported the proposal, the Kerala and Sikkim governments had not supported it. Dr. Kaushik further mentioned in the RTI that the Government of Andhra Pradesh had requested to come up with a comprehensive proposal incorporating the best practices in other countries for addressing the manpower needs in the two sectors of health services and medical services.

In this regard, he sought to know from the Health Department if the Ministry was still considering creating the IMS cadre. If yes, he had sought the details of the names of the States who offered their comments after July 2019, he asked whether the Ministry issued any notice to States that had not offered their comments for the creation of IMS Cadre.

He also mentioned that a Cadre review committee was set up by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the creation of the Indian Medical Services Cadre as informed by MoS Health. In this regard, Dr. Kaushik sought the date of the last meeting of the said committee.

However, in response, the Health Department informed that "the matter is under consideration in consultation with all the states/UTs." Regarding the Cadre review committee, the Department added that "a committee was constituted on the matter in the year 2015," further adding that "no further meeting of the said committee has held after 2019."

Commenting on the matter, Dr. Kaushik told Medical Dialogues, "The demands to form a new cadre of Indian Medical Services is not new. Since 1960, many committees have recommended creating it as well. Despite all this, so far, the result is zero, even when the healthcare infrastructure across the country is inadequate at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels."

He referred to the existence of such a cadre before independence and added, "Since independence, IAS were given the charge of controlling the health issues. Even though the IAS officers have cleared the UPSC exam, we need people trained in public healthcare to lead healthcare in India."

Addressing the situation where doctors do not prefer working in rural areas, he explained that this was due to lack of facilities and low salaries. According to Dr. Kaushik, introducing such a separate cadre dedicated to the healthcare sector can result in an improved rural healthcare sector, which, in turn, will help get doctors ready to work in remote rural areas.

However, he added, "The Government must set a timeline for the States to launch such a cadre. Apparently, it seems, that the Central Government is not serious about it, even if they claimed that the matter is still being considered."

Pointing out that the 15th Finance Commission had also recommended the creation of the cadre, he added, "Considering the inter-state disparity in the availability of medical doctors, it is essential to constitute an All India Medical and Health Services as is envisaged under Section 2A of the All India Services Act, 1951."

Referring to the RTI reply, the National President of the United Doctors' Front (UDF), Dr. Lakshya Mittal, told Medical Dialogues, "The RTI reply sadly confirms what we’ve been raising for years — a complete lack of intent to establish the Indian Medical Services (IMS) cadre. Despite repeated demands, including our detailed submissions to the National Task Force and NHRC meetings, no committee meeting has been held since 2019. IMS is essential for evidence-based health governance. The delay is unjustified and deeply disappointing."

When asked about his opinion on the matter, Dr. Rohan Krishnan, a Health Activist and a patron to the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), said, "I think that Indian Medical Services Cadre is the need of the hour and it has been in the spectrum of the Government since 2014, but it is very unfortunate that somehow the healthcare structure of the country is being ignored and no action has been taken till date for the Indian Medical Services cadre. Medical services and infrastructure, how to utilise the resources and how to analyse that which equipment, how many equipment are required in any specified area- everything from district level to State level to National level is being managed by non doctors who are working. These are managed by IAS officers and those people who have no idea about the functioning of the machine or the part of the human resources that is required for the development of a particular hospital."

"So, it is very important that since the medical facilities involve a lot of technical terms, the technocracy has to be given importance. That is why, the Indian Medical Services cadre was put into action and we have been demanding the IMS cadre for quite a long time now. FAIMA Doctors Association had also written to the Union Minister of India during the COVID pandemic that it is the need of the hour that before another pandemic like this comes, we should be prepared and FAIMA Doctors Association again puts forward this point that the Government should take immediate steps for formation of IMS cadre," he added.

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