Severe Faculty Shortage at Safdarjung Hospital Raises Concerns Over Medical Education and Patient Care

One of India’s largest government-run healthcare institutions, Safdarjung Hospital, is grappling with a serious shortage of teaching faculty, a situation that threatens to impact both patient care and the quality of medical education for future doctors.

Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on December 27, 2025, reveals that 70 teaching faculty posts are currently vacant at Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital. Out of a total of 398 sanctioned faculty positions, only 365 are presently filled, including 346 regular faculty members and 19 on contract.

Uneven Distribution Across Departments

While some departments have surplus staff, the overall picture remains grim. RTI data shows that 37 faculty members are posted in excess in certain departments, whereas several critical clinical departments are facing acute shortages due to imbalanced faculty allocation.

The most alarming gaps are seen in key super-specialty and high-patient-load departments:

• Clinical Hematology: 9 out of 11 posts vacant
• Neurology: Shortage of 8 faculty members
• Cardiology: 7 of 12 posts vacant
• Neurosurgery: 5 posts vacant
• Anaesthesia: 6 posts vacant

These shortages directly affect surgical services, emergency care, and advanced treatments, placing additional strain on the existing doctors.

Cancer and Advanced Diagnostic Services Hit Hard

Several advanced and life-saving departments are also severely understaffed. Medical Oncology, crucial for cancer treatment, has two sanctioned posts but currently no faculty at all. Other departments facing shortages include Nuclear Medicine (3 vacancies) and Urology (4 vacancies). Similar gaps have been reported in Pathology, Physiology, Pulmonary Medicine, Endocrinology, and Forensic Medicine.

Hospital’s Response

Responding to the RTI findings, Safdarjung Hospital PRO Sakshi Chugh stated that out of the 398 sanctioned posts, 345 are occupied by regular faculty and 18 by contractual faculty. She added that interviews for the remaining 35 posts have already been conducted, and appointments will be made soon as per recruitment procedures.

“The hospital remains committed to ensuring that academic activities, teaching programs, and patient care services continue without disruption,” Chugh said.

Experts Sound the Alarm

Health experts have warned that a persistent shortage of teaching faculty in major teaching hospitals can lead to longer patient waiting times, increased workload for doctors, and compromised training and supervision of medical students.

“In a high-burden hospital like Safdarjung, faculty shortages don’t just affect classrooms—they directly impact patient outcomes,” experts noted, stressing the urgent need for timely recruitment and better workforce planning.

As one of the country’s most important referral hospitals, Safdarjung’s staffing crisis highlights broader challenges facing India’s public healthcare and medical education systems.