Worrying Vacant Posts: Top Health panel calls for Centralised Recruitment process for all AIIMS

Addressing the issue of unavailability of candidates who could fulfil the high standards demanded in the selection process, the Committee in its report has further opined that "a Centralized Recruitment Process would yield speedy and better outcome."

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, headed by Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, has submitted its 126^th report on Demands for Grants 2021-22 on 08.03.2021.

While addressing the issue of vacant posts at various AIIMS across the country, the report has further mentioned, "that adoption of recruitment rules for various posts of AIIMS, New Delhi, and for new AIIMS would bring forth uniformity in the recruitment process for all AIIMS and have simultaneous recruitment for all AIIMS."

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Although the Committee has applauded the Patient care management by AIIMS, New Delhi, it has also expressed that Patient Care management can be further improved by reducing/minimizing existing demand supply mismatch between the available services.

While looking at the vacant faculty positions at AIIMS, New Delhi, the Committee noted that at present 354 faculty posts are vacant consisting of 262 posts at the level of Assistant Professors, 1 post of Medical Superintendent and 91 posts of professors.

On the other hand, 177 Group-A Non-Faculty posts have been found to be vacant among the sanctioned strength of 650. 1381 Group B and 681 Group C posts are also vacant while their total strength is 7360 and 4194 respectively.

It has been also noted by the Committee that 597 posts of Nursing Officer were advertised and the online Computer Based Test was conducted on 8.9.2020. The recruitment process for these posts is going on.

Regarding the Non-faculty posts, 632 posts have been advertised and the recruitment process is not over yet. Apart from these, approx. 867 vacancies have been found to be under promotion mode and the departmental promotion process is going on to fill the vacancies.

The Committee also took note of the filled-up positions at several other AIIMS in the country. The number of vacant faculty posts at AIIMS Bhopal has been found to be 137, while AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh have 110, 119, 169, 146, and 58 vacant faculty posts respectively. Among the 247 filled up faculty posts at AIIMS Rishikesh, 9 have been found to be filled on a contractual basis.

Data regarding the non-faculty posts have been found to be unsatisfactory as well. While each of these six AIIMS (Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh) have 3776 Non-faculty posts each, the total number of vacant non-faculty posts at these six AIIMS stands at 10,270. There are also 19 vacant Project cell posts at these six premiere institutions.

Thus, taking note of all these vacant faculty and non-faculty posts at the premiere medical institutions like AIIMS the Committee in its report has reiterated "its recommendation for filling up of the vacant faculty and non-faculty posts by expediting the recruitment process and framing of recruitment rules at the earliest for reducing the patient care load and timely healthcare delivery to the needy patients."

"The Committee has been apprised that the recruitment to various positions is done on need basis keeping in view the range of additional services and facilities planned to be added in the hospitals. The incumbency position at various AIIMS is monitored regularly and vacancies are advertised from time to time depending on their requirement. However, as high standards have to be maintained in selection, keeping in view the stature of these Institutes of National Importance, all the advertised positions could not be filled up. Various steps have been taken to fill up the vacant posts in these AIIMS, however, vacancy position shows that efforts were not successful to achieve the set objectives of filling up of vacant posts," mentioned the Committee report.

Thus, it has been opined on the behalf of the committee that "a Centralized Recruitment Process would yield speedy and better outcome."

The report further added, "The Committee also feels that adoption of recruitment rules for various posts of AIIMS, New Delhi and for new AIIMS would bring forth uniformity in the recruitment process for all AIIMS and have simultaneous recruitment for all AIIMS. The Committee, therefore, recommends that these options may be explored in earnest to fill up the vacancies in AIIMS."