Patna, Feb. 3: Jai Prakash Narayan All India Institute of Medical Sciences (JPNAIIMS) has set its eyes on world-class doctors to teach its first batch of students from this academic session.

The health hub is focusing on doctors of Bihar-origin settled abroad and is trying to pursue them to come and work at the upcoming health hub.

Sources said, there has been an overwhelming response to the advertisements for appointment of doctors to six new AIIMS, at Rishikesh, Bhopal, Patna, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar and Raipur. Officials at Patna AIIMS have started their quest to ensure maximum NRI doctors join the institution.

A total of 91 doctors in the grades of professor, additional professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior resident doctor and super specialist will be recruited at JPNAIIMS, which is expected to become functional by the year-end. “Over 5,000 doctors have applied for the total 546 posts at all new AIIMS. The vacancies were advertised by the Union ministry of health and family welfare. Last date of application submission was January 31. About 20-25 per cent of the applicants are NRI doctors, most of whom belong to Bihar. As the applications get processed and evaluated, we will have more clear statistics,” said Dr G.K. Singh, director, AIIMS, Patna.

He added: “Seeing the quality of applicants, we are confident of getting good faculty here. We will try and ensure that a maximum number of such professionals get associated with us.”

Many doctors with Indian Overseas Citizenship (IOC) have also applied for the vacancies. Following the scrutiny of data and shortlisting of the applicants, interviews will be conducted and a merit list of successful candidates will be prepared. The final appointment will be made according to the choice of candidates in the merit list.

As the 100-seat medical college at the 960-bed health hub in Patna is slated to start from the coming academic session, appointments will first be made in three basic medical science subjects — anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. “We will try to appoint at least 25 doctors at the earliest for basic subjects taught in the first year of MBBS course. Rest of the recruitments will be made later,” said Singh, who earlier headed orthopaedics surgery department at King George’s Medical College, Lucknow.

The decision to set up AIIMS in the state capital, on the lines of the 50-year-old health hub in New Delhi, was taken by the Centre to make tertiary medical care available for everyone. While initially the plan was to start the construction in 2004, right after the foundation was laid by then Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, work could only begin in 2010, because of change at the Centre.