Faculty shortages have worsened at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, Jodhpur and Rishikesh over 18 months and persist across all AIIMS nationwide, according to Union health ministry data shared in Parliament on Tuesday.

The ministry, responding to a question on faculty shortages submitted by Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora, shared data showing that faculty vacancies account for 23 per cent to 38 per cent of sanctioned posts even in seven “fully operational” AIIMS — New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh.

AIIMS, New Delhi, currently has 1,235 sanctioned faculty posts and 425 (34 per cent) vacancies, or worse than the faculty strength in August 2023 when it had 1,131 sanctioned posts and 227 (20 per cent) vacancies. Jodhpur now has 85 vacancies of 305 posts compared to 81 vacancies in 2023. Rishikesh has 141 (39 per cent) vacancies of 355 posts compared to 105 (34 per cent) of 305 posts in 2023.

AIIMS, Kalyani, has 259 sanctioned posts and 100 vacant positions.

The Parliament reply came three days after the Centre, in the Union budget for 2025-26, pledged it would help establish 75,000 additional medical seats in the country over the next five years. Sections of medical faculty believe the expansion in medical seats without adequate faculty will negatively impact the quality of education that medical students receive.

The ministry data show that all AIIMS also face large numbers of vacancies in non-faculty positions. AIIMS, New Delhi, for instance currently has 2,242 vacancies against 14,300 sanctioned non-faculty positions. AIIMS, Kalyani, has 615 vacancies against 1,527 sanctioned non-faculty positions.

The ministry told Parliament that the creation of posts and recruitment is a continuous process and several steps, including centralised recruitment of nursing officers and common recruitment exams for junior residents and senior residents, have been taken to “expeditiously fill” the sanctioned positions.