CGHS faces doctor shortages; over 30 percent GDMO posts vacant in Delhi
Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India’s doctor-population ratio is currently estimated at 1:811, based on the combined availability of Allopathic and AYUSH practitioners. However, concerns have been raised over the uneven distribution of the workforce, particularly in Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities, where gaps in sanctioned posts across several cities were highlighted in Parliament.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, MP Prakash Chik Baraik sought details from the Government regarding the authority responsible for filling vacant CGHS doctor posts and the current status of sanctioned strength, in-position doctors, and vacancies across different cities and specialities.
He asked the Minister of Health and Family Welfare about “the responsible authority for filling vacancy of doctors reported by CGHS; and the sanctioned strength, in-position and vacant post in CGHS dispensaries, discipline-wise and group-wise?”
In response, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav stated, “Each year, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare submits requisition of vacancies to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). UPSC conducts CMSE and interviews for recruitment of GDMOs and Specialists, respectively. GDMOs and Specialists thus recruited are posted to Central Government hospitals and various participating units such as CGHS and other health units across the country.”
The annexed data to the reply reveal that vacancies among General Duty Medical Officers remain considerable in several cities. Delhi alone has 216 vacant posts out of 703 sanctioned positions, which is about 30.7 percent. A similar trend is seen in Kolkata, where 29 of 80 posts are vacant, and in Kanpur, 15 out of 44 posts remain unfilled. Lucknow shows 16 vacancies out of 53 posts, which is close to 30 percent vacant seats, while Meerut records one of the highest vacancy rates at 13 out of 30 posts, or approximately 43 percent.
In contrast, cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Thiruvananthapuram currently report no vacancies in the GDMO category, with all sanctioned posts filled as per records.
The non-teaching specialist cadre presents a sharper disparity. While Delhi reports only 15 vacancies out of 107 sanctioned posts, which is around 14 percent, other cities show significantly higher gaps. Chennai has 13 vacancies out of 17 posts, which is nearly 76 percent; Hyderabad has 12 out of 16 vacant posts. Kanpur records 7 out of 9 posts vacant, that is close to 78 percent, and Prayagraj has 8 out of 10 posts vacant, amounting to 80 percent. If one looks at the overall data, in some CGHS centres, three out of every four specialist positions are unfilled.
Meanwhile, vacancies in the dental cadre are comparatively lower, but the gap is there as well. Delhi has 1 vacancy out of 10 posts, while Mumbai has 1 out of 2 posts vacant. Kanpur, Lucknow, and Nagpur each report one vacant dental post as well.
