Senior Faculty Shortage cripples Teaching Hospitals in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana's state-run tertiary hospitals are grappling with challenges in medical education and patient care, primarily due to the misallocation of senior faculty. Experienced professors and specialists are being posted to remote health centres with low patient inflow and inadequate postgraduate (PG) medical students, resulting in underutilisation of their expertise. 

Senior doctors from key departments such as cardiology, radiology, general surgery, general medicine, and paediatrics are stationed in peripheral centres where only primary healthcare services are typically required. These centres often lack critical diagnostic infrastructure like CT or MRI scanners.

For instance, a senior radiology professor who could significantly contribute to Niloufer Hospital or Osmania General Hospital is currently stationed at a peripheral facility that handles only basic primary healthcare services.

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In response to this ongoing issue, senior government doctors affiliated with the Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) submitted a representation to Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha more than a month ago. The doctors have urged the government to lift the existing ban on faculty transfers.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) has urged the State government to ease the existing ban on faculty transfers and urgently address the shortage of professors in some of the state’s leading teaching hospitals. In a meeting, TGDA representatives met with State Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha and submitted a formal memorandum outlining their concerns. They emphasised that prominent government-run institutions like Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College, Kakatiya Medical College in Warangal, and the Government Medical College in Nizamabad are grappling with a serious lack of senior faculty members.

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Speaking to Telangana Today, Dr B Narahari, State President of TGDA, said, “We will continue to remain in touch with health officials and the Health Minister to improve the current situation at tertiary hospitals. The hasty establishment of 25 additional government medical colleges has further exacerbated faculty shortages,” said Dr B Narahari, State President of TGDA.

The TGDA’s appeal highlighted that while sanctioned faculty posts remain vacant at tertiary hospitals, qualified doctors continue to be posted in remote centres where their skills are underutilised.

Speaking to Telangana Today, they added, “Permitting transfers to existing vacancies would significantly improve staffing levels without creating any additional financial burden for the government.”