Over one-third faculty posts at AIIMS-Delhi vacant: RTI

Nearly 35 per cent of faculty positions at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, remain unfilled, according to information shared by the premier healthcare institution in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query.

The faculty cell’s administrative officer confirmed that out of a sanctioned strength of 1,235 faculty posts, 430 are currently vacant.

The RTI application was filed in January by activist M M Shuja, who sought details regarding the functioning of AIIMS Delhi. The institute furnished its response on 18 March.

The data revealed that AIIMS had advertised 172 Assistant Professor posts in 2019, of which only 110 appointments were made. In 2021 and 2022, just 173 Assistant Professors and three Associate Professors joined the College of Nursing, despite 270 positions being advertised.

No recruitment for regular faculty posts took place in 2020, 2023, 2024, or during the first quarter of 2025, the institute further stated.

This shortage comes amid a broader crisis in Delhi’s healthcare system, which is struggling with a significant dearth of specialist doctors across government hospitals. Recent RTI data shows that 17 per cent of medical officer posts, 38 per cent of non-teaching specialist posts, and 22 per cent of teaching specialist positions are vacant.

Specifically, 234 out of 1,364 sanctioned medical officer posts are unoccupied, along with 281 of 729 non-teaching specialist roles and 132 of 583 teaching specialist posts.

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However, the response added that dossiers for 232 General Duty Medical Officers (GDMOs) and 109 non-teaching specialists have been received from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and their postings are currently underway.

(With inputs from PTI)