West Bengal to fill over 8000 Health Dept vacancies
Kolkata: Nearly a year after widespread protests by junior doctors brought the issue of staff shortages into the spotlight, the West Bengal Health Recruitment Board (WBHRB) has announced a large-scale hiring initiative to fill more than 8,000 vacancies in the state’s health sector.
The recruitment drive includes 1,848 openings for doctors and 5,018 for nurses. Of the doctor positions, 1,227 are earmarked for General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs), while 621 will go to specialist doctors and assistant professors.
The move follows intense pressure from the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), which had voiced strong concerns during protests that erupted after the rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The agitation not only demanded greater workplace safety but also pressed for urgent appointments to address severe manpower shortages. According to the WBJDF, the Medical Education Service (MES) has a vacancy rate of about 33%. The last recruitment of GDMOs took place in 2021, no nurses have been hired in the past three years, and dentists have not been recruited for over a decade.
The association posted on a social media platform, stating, “The picture of the poor state of the health system, corruption, insufficient health workers, and the miserable condition of patients emerged. We have repeatedly said—all vacancies, including doctors, nurses, and health workers, must be filled immediately. Why did we say that? Because security in a health centre is ensured not only by the police or CCTV, but only when good treatment of patients can be ensured—so that they do not have to suffer harassment due to referral problems, lack of infrastructure, or lack of staff.”
“Public health development is needed. Every health centre needs proper infrastructure, adequate health workers, and a corruption-free environment. Recently, NMC (National Medical Commission) has reduced post-graduate seats in several medical colleges in West Bengal due to a lack of sufficient teaching doctors—this incident has also shown how real our demand is. Hence, this recruitment drive is a huge step to improve the healthcare scenario in West Bengal,” it further added.
The association also added, “We think—this is not just a recruitment, it is a historic success of the movement. Only a mass movement can achieve the real demands of the people—this has been proven again today. Among our ten-point demands was—the most urgent step for safety in hospitals is the immediate recruitment of doctors, nurses, and health workers in the vacant posts. Today's recruitment is a clear recognition of that demand—the government has bowed its head.”
The protesting doctors clarified that to manage the health system in a well-planned manner, these huge vacancies must be filled immediately, and a transparent transfer policy must be implemented. They warned that if this recruitment process is corrupt, if any lobby influence or threat syndicate is seen, then the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front will launch a strong movement on a democratic path.
