AIIMS Recruitment 2017: 1,300 seats vacant, may hire retired professors on contract as faculty

AIIMS  Recruitment 2017: The new six AIIMS are struggling to fill 1,285 posts and the seats remain vacant as the Union Health Ministry is struggling to find appropriate candidates.

Last year a total of 1,300 posts were advertised for professors at the AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh. According to the reports, only 300 were selected out of which only 200 joined. At his annual press conference last month, Health Minister J P Nadda admitted, “We are not getting good people. Hum chalis-chalis logon ko reject kar rahen hain (We are rejecting up to 40 people at a time).”

Elaborating on the proposal to hire retired professors on contract as faculty, a Health Ministry official said, “That way we may get good, competent people who have retired from institutes like AIIMS-New Delhi, and PGI-Chandigarh.”

It is also been said that salary is one of the major concern as a professor at an AIIMS would get around Rs 2.12 lakh monthly salary including HRA, an additional professor is entitled to around Rs 1.91 lakh. In the private sector, depending on a doctor’s discipline and the demand for it, he or she can earn up to Rs 7-8 lakh, said the director of one of the six AIIMS.

This year Bophal has posted 251 vacancies, Bhubaneswar 178, Jodhpur 204, Patna 253, Raipur 204 and Rishikesh 205, lesser than previous years. Each

AIIMS is allowed 305 posts, which are filled differently across different cities, from 55 in Patna to 135 in Bhubaneswar.

It is also believed that departments like nuclear medicine, neurosurgery in the private sector shell out higher salaries, preventing the candidates from applying to posts of professor and additional professor. The Officials also said that newer AIIMS do not have proper facilities due to small centres.