3 min readJaipurJul 28, 2026 04:03 PM IST
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Parliament that nearly a third of faculty posts are vacant at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country.
Responding to a question by Lok Sabha MP from Dausa, Murari Lal Meena, who had asked whether a large number of sanctioned faculty and non-faculty posts are lying vacant in various AIIMS in the country, Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav said that in 2026-27, against the 6,304 sanctioned faculty posts in 20 AIIMS, 2,181 are lying vacant. Similarly, against the sanctioned non-faculty posts of 59,225, as many as 15,159, or over 25 per cent, are lying vacant.
At AIIMS, New Delhi, of the 1,313 sanctioned faculty posts, 877 have been filled, while 436 remain vacant. In non-faculty posts, against a sanctioned strength of 13,913, 11,452 are occupied, and 2,461 are vacant.
However, there has been an overall improvement across all 20 AIIMS, with the vacancy rate of faculty positions declining from 39.22 per cent in 2023-24 to 34.6 per cent in 2026-27. Similarly, the vacancy rate among non-faculty positions has declined from 39.19 per cent in 2023-24 to 25.6 per cent in 2026-27.
The government has said that “creation of posts and recruitment is a continuous and dynamic process. Filling up of vacant faculty/non-faculty positions is contingent on various factors including availability of suitable/eligible/qualified doctors/health professionals, reservation roster, location of the Institute, etc.”
The Ministry said that it has been taking several measures to expeditiously fill vacant sanctioned positions, such as the constitution of a Standing Selection Committee in each Institute, as per the provisions of their respective Acts, for the selection of faculty, etc.
Other measures include provisions for the engagement of retired faculty at the levels of Professor, Additional Professor, and Associate Professor, on a contract basis, in the new AIIMS, up to the age of 70 years, from Institutes of National Importance (INIs) and Government Medical Colleges (GMCs).
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Further, the Visiting Faculty Scheme has been formulated to allow Professors, Additional Professors, and Associate Professors who hold academic positions in government institutions in India or in academic institutions outside India to serve as Visiting Faculty at the new AIIMS for teaching purposes.
The Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET) is conducted by AIIMS Delhi to recruit Nursing Officers for various AIIMS. Additionally, the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) was conducted by AIIMS Delhi twice in 2025 for recruitment to Group B and C non-faculty positions.
The Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) for selection of Junior Residents (Academic) and the Institute of National Importance Super Speciality (INI-SS) Exam for selection of Senior Residents (Academic) for various AIIMS are also conducted twice a year by AIIMS, New Delhi.