3,571 doctor posts vacant in MP government hospitals as 30 professors near retirement

Bhopal: Around 30 professors across five government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh are due to retire, raising concerns over faculty shortages, postgraduate medical education and patient care at their attached hospitals. The state already has 3,571 vacant doctor posts against 5,444 sanctioned positions in government hospitals.

According to reports, two cardiologists at Gandhi Medical College (GMC), Bhopal, Dr RK Singh and Dr Rajiv Gupta, are scheduled to retire in December 2026. Several other faculty members, including Dr Anna Alex, Dr Aruna Kumar, Dr Rekha Wadwani and Dr Arvind Rai, are due to retire in 2027. Dr Navneet Saxena, dean of Jabalpur Medical College, is also scheduled to retire that year, while GMC dean Dr Kavita Singh is due to retire in January 2028.

The impending retirements could affect specialist training at GMC Bhopal, particularly its Doctor of Medicine (DM) cardiology course. Dr Ajay Sharma, professor of cardiology at the college, said the departure of the two senior cardiologists could leave just one faculty member in the department.

“With both senior cardiologists retiring in December this year, we will only be left with one person in the department, leading to the risk of losing recognition of the DM-level course, as recruitment takes time,” Sharma said.

The shortage of faculty could also affect patient care at the attached hospitals, where medical faculty balance clinical duties with teaching and supervision of postgraduate students.

Dr Rakesh Malviya, president of the Medical Teachers Association, said faculty members born between April 1961 and March 1962 would reach the retirement age of 65 during the 2026-27 academic year. Those born in 1962 would retire in the corresponding months of 2027, Free Press Journal reported.

Recruitment is also being held up by delays in departmental promotion committee (DPC) meetings. Despite letters from the General Administration Department and the Directorate of Medical Education urging colleges to hold these meetings, no significant progress has been made.

The delay in promotions has become another hurdle to filling vacant faculty positions ahead of the upcoming retirements.