At least 27 government medical colleges, including those in the city, are facing a severe shortage of teaching faculty, according to an analysis of faculty data by the Telangana Resident Doctors Association (TRDA)
Hyderabad: At least 27 government medical colleges, including those in the city, are facing a severe shortage of teaching faculty, according to an analysis of faculty data by the Telangana Resident Doctors Association (TRDA). The review showed that several departments are functioning with either no faculty or without senior academic leadership, raising concerns over National Medical Commission (NMC) compliance and the quality of training.
The data revealed that 27 departments have no teaching faculty, particularly in pre‑clinical and para‑clinical subjects, especially at colleges in Jogulamba Gadwal, Asifabad, Kodangal, Bhupalpally and Narayanpet. Several institutions are running clusters of departments staffed only by assistant professors or senior residents. In newer colleges — notably Mulugu, Medak, Nirmal and Nagarkurnool — the professor column is consistently empty.
The shortage is not confined to newly established colleges. While Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College and Kakatiya Medical College have relatively better staffing, even these institutions lack adequate professors and associate professors, said Dr D. Srinath, president of TRDA.
He noted that across Telangana, more than 150 departments are functioning without a single senior faculty member, leaving junior doctors or temporary staff to manage teaching, examinations and administration. Senior faculty are mandatory for postgraduate training, curriculum oversight and NMC inspections, and their absence places colleges at risk of losing accreditation or PG permissions.
Another major concern, the association found, is the rise of single‑faculty departments. Over 120 departments are being run by just one assistant professor, responsible for undergraduate teaching, internal assessments, university examinations and departmental administration. Medical education experts warn that such arrangements are unsustainable and compromise academic standards.
The data further show that well over 70 per cent of departments do not have a single professor. Professors, who provide academic leadership and mentorship, remain concentrated in a handful of older institutions such as Osmania, Gandhi and Kakatiya. In contrast, newer district medical colleges frequently have no professors across several departments including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, social and preventive medicine, forensic medicine and microbiology, Dr Srinath said. In some cases, these departments are staffed by only one assistant professor, directly affecting the quality of first‑ and second‑year MBBS education.
