Fill Medical College Vacancies in 6 Months, NMC Tells States

Kurnool:The National Medical Commission has directed all states to fill vacant faculty positions in government medical colleges within six months, following an order from the Patna High Court.

The commission has issued instructions to state health principal secretaries, secretaries and directors of medical education, as well as to Union Territories. Following this, medical colleges in Kurnool and Kadapa initiated steps to fill the vacancies.

AP has 19 government medical colleges, including AIIMS Mangalagiri, while Telangana too has as many. Estimates suggest that Andhra Pradesh alone has around 250 vacancies at the assistant professor level, while Telangana has about 200. Vacancies also exist in associate professor and professor cadres.

The January 17, 2026 judgement of the Patna high court followed the filing of a case by faculty members of a government medical college in Patna seeking exemption from daily biometric attendance.

Rejecting the plea, the court observed that faculty shortages were exerting undue pressure on the existing staff, and directed the NMC to ensure immediate filling of vacancies across medical colleges. It stressed that the court’s directions must be implemented within six months.

The court noted that large-scale vacancies were hurting the healthcare system, with doctors and faculty members forced to work extended hours, sometimes beyond 24 hours at a stretch. Such working conditions, it said, could also lead to attendance-related issues.

Responding to the directive, a professor of general medicine from Kurnool said, “Faculty vacancies have been a long-pending issue. Along with filling these posts, there is also a need to regularly appoint senior residents to reduce the workload.”

A paediatrics professor at RIMS, Kadapa, said, “Due to shortage of faculty, the burden on existing doctors has increased. This is affecting both patient care and academic responsibilities.”

Sources said principals of medical colleges have begun preparing detailed vacancy reports in line with the NMC’s directive, with expectations that states may soon initiate special recruitment drives to comply with the six-month deadline.