Faculty crisis deepens in Telangana’s teaching hospitals despite recruitment efforts
Government teaching hospitals in Telangana face a critical shortage of Assistant Professors, affecting both patient care and medical education. With NMC inspections ongoing and MBBS seats at risk, junior doctors are pushing for immediate recruitment and better faculty retention policies.
Hyderabad: It’s not just Professors, the State-run teaching hospitals in Hyderabad and peripheral areas are also struggling due to a severe shortage of Assistant Professors, who are vital for bedside patient care. This shortage is severely impacting not only medical education but also patient care in government hospitals, a point that was raised on multiple occasions during the National Medical Commission (NMC) inspecting teams’ visit.
The health department has hoped to plug the faculty shortage by transferring senior Professors to districts. However, the strict oversight of NMC inspecting teams and the threat to cancel existing MBBS medical seats have now forced the State government to seriously consider undertaking recruitment, senior doctors on Friday said.
For the past one year or so, junior doctors and senior residents have been consistently demanding that the State government immediately begin recruiting Assistant Professors for peripheral hospitals.
“Every year, approximately 1,100 postgraduate (PG) doctors complete their training in Telangana. However, due to irregular in job notifications, many are forced to seek employment in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra,” says Dr K Brahmeshwar, president of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA).
In the past, the health department had attempted to fill 1,450 Assistant Professor posts across 26 new Government colleges. “You need to address the core issues that contribute to the chronic shortage. The compensation packages offered in government teaching hospitals often don’t match what a doctor can potentially earn in the private sector. Unless attractive future prospects are provided, talent cannot be retained,” a senior doctor said.
The junior doctors’ association, on its part, has been raising the issue of undertaking recruitment of doctors at mid and low level and emphasizing the importance of retaining talent.
“Frequent revision of stipends and strengthening of faculty positions in medical colleges to ensure better working conditions and training facilities, have been a long pending demand for us. On Thursday we met the Health Minister, and he has assured us to take-up the issue with the Chief Minister,” Dr Ajay Kumar, general secretary, Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA), said.
Some suggestions from TJUDA/HRDA:
• Revise salary structures and offer attractive incentives to retain talent
• Streamline and expedite permanent recruitment to fill vacancies efficiently and regularly
• Invest in faculty development programs and create conducive academic and research-oriented environments
• Implement policies to encourage medical graduates pursue academic careers in TS
• Increase stipend in line with inflation and workload
