The Modi Government may have been urging the States to set up AIIMS-like institutes, but, ironically, about 80 per cent of the total sanctioned posts — both teaching and non-teaching — in the six new ones in Patna, Bhopal, Bhubneswar, Jodhpur, Raipur and Rishikesh are yet to be filled up.
As per the data tabled in Parliament last week by the Union Health Ministry, against 1,048 and 2,064 sanctioned post for doctors and faculty staff and paramedical staff respectively in all the six institutes, around 80 per cent posts are yet to be filled up in both the categories.
City wise, Rishikesh AIIMS has recruited just 112 doctors including faculty/tutor so far while Raipur has fared comparatively better though not very impressive. It has so far appointed 191 doctors, including faculty staff for providing medical and teaching facilities to the patients and students who have enrolled there.
Similar is the situation in AIIMS like institutes in Jodhpur, Patna, Bhubaneswar and Bhopal. Against 1,048 sanctioned posts for faculty staff, Bhopal has filled up 166 posts, Bhubaneswar has recruited 162 doctors Patna 169 doctors and Jodhpur 179 posts.
Similarly, the Government has not been able to appoint paramedical staff as required for its efficient functioning. Against sanctioned strength of 2,064 posts, actual strength is 214 in AIIMS in Bhopal, 244 in Bhubaneswar, 223 in Jodhpur, 171 in Patna, 133 in Raipur and 146 in AIIMS-like institute in Rishikesh.
What’s worst is that AIIMS-like institute in Patna and Raipur is yet to catch fancy among the MBBS aspirants. As per the Government data, in Patna and Raipur, 33 seats and 11 seats respectively are lying vacant even as medical aspirants have been queuing up for the seats in private and other medical colleges.
Overall, around 5,000 posts were allocated in six premier institutes each set up under the under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) project with the objective of correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services and also augment facilities for quality medical education in the country. Each institute has cost around Rs800 crore to the State exchequer.
With faculty and staff crunch in these AIIMS-like institutes set up with an aim to provide quality medical services and education beyond Delhi, the AIIMS in the national Capital continue to bear the burnt of heavy patients inflow. For instance, in 2011-12, 15 lakhs patients were registered in OPD which rose to 15 lakhs in 2013-14.