All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Patna's governing body will meet on July 1 to set the ball rolling for the recruitment of doctors at the hospital.

Sources said the Union ministry of health and family welfare stalled the recruitment for four departments - medicine, surgery, plastic surgery and ophthalmology - after the hospital's former deputy director (administration) Anil Kishore Yadav sent a letter of objection to the Centre alleging irregularities on the hospital's part during the recruitment procedure in January.

There are 55 doctors working at the hospital against the sanctioned 305.

Some departments like ophthalmology, psychiatry, gastro-medicine and nephrology don't have a single doctor. Senior residents run them.

Besides, there are many departments that are run by just one doctor. These include plastic surgery, neuro-surgery, cardiac surgery, medicine, paediatrics, ear, nose and throat, radiotherapy, pharmacology and forensic medicine among others.

"We are going to discuss issues such as validating the recruitment process for the four departments that were stalled in February," said AIIMS-Patna director G.K. Singh. "Union health minister J.P. Nadda will chair the meeting."

Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP MPs Shatrughan Sinha and Sanjay Jaiswal are members of the institute governing body, according to sources.

Sources said among the agenda to be discussed in the meeting will be implementation of the senior residency scheme at the hospital.

The scheme allows medics to work for three years at the hospital after getting their MBBS degrees.

Senior residents are entitled to leaves and allowances apart from promotion benefits. At present, the senior residents at AIIMS-Patna get to work only three months or 11 months and get no benefits under the scheme.

More than 20 senior residents of AIIMS-Patna moved to state-run hospitals this year because the scheme was not implemented.

Sources said the hospital will discuss the termination of outsourcing agencies for works at the hospital.

According to the proposal, the hospital will recruit Grade III and Grade IV employees on its own instead of depending on these agencies to carry out the process.

Officials will also discuss how to boost the finances of the hospital.

AIIMS-Patna still does not have fully functional indoor and trauma wings. It also lacks a blood bank. These will be discussed during the meeting.