NMC Flags Severe Faculty Shortfall at Jharkhand GMCs, Slams Health Dept
Faculty Shortage
Dhanbad: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has expressed serious concerns over the shortage of faculties in five government medical colleges across Jharkhand.
NMC, the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body, highlighted the persistent deficiencies in the number of staff in the five GMCs during a video conference recently with the Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Ajay Kumar Singh, and the Principals and Superintendents of these institutes.
The list of GMCs includes MGM Medical College & Hospital (MGMMCH), Jamshedpur, Shahid Nirmal Mahato Medical College (SNMMCH), Dhanbad, Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital (PJMCH), Dumka, Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College (SBMCH), Hazaribagh, and Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Palamu.
As per the latest media report by The Jharkhand Story, ACS Health Ajay Kumar Singh informed the Commission that steps were being taken to address the issue. He also said that faculty positions, including professors and associate professors, were being filled through both promotions and contractual appointments. The recruitment process for filling the remaining vacancies is currently ongoing.
Sources informed the Daily that originally, NMC had emailed all five GMCs, seeking detailed compliance reports on various operational issues. For this, the Commission had set May 19 as the deadline. Since the Commission found the replies to be inadequate, a physical hearing followed.
The Commission had summoned both the ACS (Health) and the Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr. S.K.Sing,h for an in-person hearing in Delhi on June 19. However, only DME Dr. Singh appeared in person while ACS Ajay Kumar Singh joined via video conferencing due to urgent administrative work.
Due to the ACS's virtual participation, reportedly, the principals and superintendents of the five GMCs were not permitted to present their statements directly. Now, based on the June 19 video conference, the Commission is expected to issue a formal notice to the ACS (Health) within a week, seeking concrete updates on compliance efforts.
The faculty shortage crisis has worsened due to the recent retirement of around 10 senior professors from SNMMCH Dhanbad and MGMMCH Jamshedpur. This has impacted the functioning of the academic and clinical activities.
Retired professors include Prof. M.L. Jamal and Prof. D.K. Sinha from MGMMCH Jamshedpur, and Prof. Jyotiranjan Prasad, Dr. Makradhwaj Prasad, Prof. K.K. Lal, Dr. D.P. Bhushan, Dr. Anil Kumar, and Prof. U.K. Ojha from SNMMCH Dhanbad. Currently, the departments where these doctors were appointed are functioning without senior leadership.
At MGMMMCH, two professors, including Prof. Ajay Raj and Prof. Ravindra Kumar, are set to retire from the institute by the end of June.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that finding as many as nine deficiencies in the Annual Disclosure Report (ADR), the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a show-cause notice to MMCH Daltonganj.
NMC issued the show-cause notice after finding the deficiencies in the review of the ADR in April 2025. According to sources, the Director of the NMC UGMEB, Sukh Lal Meena, sent the show cause notice to the institute in the first week of May.
Also Read: Waking up to NMC show cause, Telangana Medical Colleges to Recruit 1651 Faculty
