House panel flags low SC/ST representation in AIIMS faculty

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, February 6

The parliamentary committee has expressed concern over inadequate representation of SC and ST employees at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Health Ministry to submit action plan

• As per the report, in the 2018 recruitment for regular faculty posts, 19 positions, including six SC, three ST, seven OBC and three unreserved, remained unfilled due to candidates not being found suitable
• The report mentioned that a similar situation had occurred in the 2022 selection against 14 posts. Even in the last selection of 2022, against 14 posts, including six each for SC and OBC and two for the unreserved category, candidates were found unsuitable
• The Health Ministry is expected to submit an action plan within three months from the presentation of the report to both houses of Parliament.

The Committee for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in its report on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for 2023-24, took a strong note of the non-fulfilment of posts meant for reserved category candidates.

As per the report, in the 2018 recruitment for regular faculty posts, 19 positions, including six SC, three ST, seven OBC and three unreserved, remained unfilled due to candidates not being found suitable.

The report mentioned that a similar situation had occurred in the 2022 selection against 14 posts. Even in the last selection of 2022, against 14 posts, including six each for SC and OBC and two for the unreserved category, candidates were found unsuitable.

The report mentioned that of 1,111 faculty positions at AIIMS, there were 275 vacancies for assistant professors and 92 for professors. The committee emphasised the urgency for filling the vacant posts and said that no SC/ST reserved faculty seat should be left vacant for more than six months.

The committee said that covering group C or lower posts from regular to outsourced was akin to depriving a poor and mentioned that there should not be contractual or outsourced appointment in even non-core areas like safaikaramchari, driver and data operator.

In the reply to the parliamentary panel, the Health Ministry revealed that as per figures, there were 115 faculty members from SC and 44 from ST communities appointed on the roll at AIIMS on regular basis. At present, 17 SC and five ST faculty members were working in super-specialty disciplines like surgical oncology, neuro-anaesthesia, cardiac-anaesthesia, neurosurgery, pulmonary medicines, the committee told the parliamentary penal.

However, the committee observed that despite possessing proper eligibility and competence, SC/ST aspirants were not being inducted as faculty members, even at initial stage. It highlighted cases were where Junior Resident Doctors from SC/ST backgrounds, having worked for several years on an ad-hoc basis, were not selected when regular vacancies were filled.

The committee recommended that all existing vacant faculty positions be filled within three months, emphasising that no faculty seat reserved for SC/ST should remain vacant for more than six months under any circumstances.

The Health Ministry is expected to submit an action plan within three months from the presentation of the report to both houses of Parliament.

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