All is not well? 400 doctors leave AIIMS in 2 years to take private route

Between 2022-2024, 429 doctors have resigned from AIIMS across India to work in private jobs, the Parliament was informed recently. The highest resignations (52) happened in AIIMS Delhi, once considered "the place" fresh doctors would strive to get in. The startling numbers tell a tale of what is ailing the system.

The exodus is not limited to just AIIMS Delhi. While 38 doctors have resigned from AIIMS Rishikesh, 35 have left AIIMS Raipur, 32 from AIIMS Bilaspur, 30 from Mangalagiri, and 27 from AIIMS Bhopal.

HIGH PROFILE EXITS

India Today accessed data to find out that most of these resignations in AIIMS Delhi happened at the top level. These include heads of departments, chiefs of centres and senior professors at AIIMS Delhi from a faculty strength of more than 1,000.

Some of the big names include former AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, who took an early VRS and is now working at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

Dr Shiv Chaudhary, former head of the department of cardiology, resigned and joined Fortis Escort. Dr Shashank Sharad Kale, former neurosurgery head of department, has moved to Apollo.

Others who have resigned include Dr Alok Thakkar, former head of the ENT department and National Cancer Institute, Dr Sushma Bhatnagar, former professor and head of anaesthesiology (pain and palliative care) at Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital.

Dr Padma Srivastava, former head of the department of neurology and chief of the Neurosciences Centre, and Dr Rajesh Malhotra, former head of the orthopaedic department, are other big names to have left.

LACK OF LEADERSHIP

Most of them were nurtured in AIIMS and served here for over 3 decades. A senior doctor at AIIMS gets paid up to Rs 2-2.5 lakh a month. At a private hospital, the remuneration is 4-10 times higher.

When India Today contacted a few senior faculty members to enquire about the reasons, one former head of department who resigned last year and has joined a private hospital in Delhi cited a lack of leadership for the situation.

"If it was about money, then I would have taken this step many years ago. He (director AIIMS Delhi) has created an environment of mistrust and inefficiency. This was never the case in earlier times. The director was looked upon with great respect," the former faculty member said.

"I felt stuck, that I couldn't even make decisions for my department. Decision-making had completely collapsed. Everything was stuck on paper. There was no positive direction or solution that was being sought. Day-to-day functioning was made so difficult that I, like many others, thought it was time to take this step," he explained.

Thousands of patients line up daily for affordable treatment at AIIMS Delhi. Long working hours, delayed appointments for OPD and prolonged waits for surgeries have become common place at AIIMS, where the entire system is always under pressure.

Another former head of department, who quit last year, said, "We work day and night in AIIMS because we are committed to society and to the crores of people who seek AIIMS for affordable and the best treatment. This image has now changed."

"Not everyone leaves for corporate jobs and salaries. Many committed and well-meaning people have also left AIIMS because of politics and favouritism towards those who are less experienced by the decision makers in the institution," he said on the condition of anonymity.

VACUUM IN SENIOR POSITIONS

The mass exodus has left a vacuum in senior positions. This has raised questions about the credibility of a renowned medical institution like AIIMS Delhi.

"I still believe AIIMS is an excellent institution for young doctors. The patients will always come to AIIMS, but they will not get experienced doctors," said another former head of department. "The politics and severe lack of recognition even after 25 years of serving the institution became highly demotivating," the senior doctor said.

"Many have reached out to me once I took the step. People at the highest levels in the government are aware of the situation, but no one wants a solution. The institution's mismanagement was killing the medical practitioner inside me. I was not able to educate my students, nor could I function independently as a department head," said another former head of department.

The bulk of the faculty strength at AIIMS now consists of assistant professors. These posts require less experience and have more recruitment. However, without adequate facilities and support, even these young doctors tend to leave after a short stint.

ROTARY HEADSHIP POLICY

Another point of contention is the rotatory headship policy that aims to open equal opportunity for faculty members to serve in leadership roles.

The policy envisages more transparency and accountability in departmental functions, prevents favouritism and stagnation of leadership and concentration of powers in one hand.

This system, which is implemented in prestigious international institutions like Oxford and Harvard, is seen as a way to ensure fairness and transparency in academia. Despite the Health Ministry issuing directions for its implementation in AIIMS Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh in 2023 with a June 2024 deadline, the policy remains unimplemented and in limbo.

"We are branded by AIIMS and have had a 30-35 years association with AIIMS. But there is no positive direction. The issues were raised at the highest levels of the Health Ministry. There is recurring bleeding and loss. But nothing is being done officially," said a former senior professor who is now working with a major private hospital in Delhi.

DOCTORS EXIT FROM NEWER AIIMS

Multiple factors are behind the exodus from newer AIIMS. Inadequate housing, poor connectivity due to rural location, and a low housing allowance - owing to Tier-3 city classification - make postings unattractive.

Doctors also pointed out the absence of essential facilities such as quality schools, shopping complexes, and reliable internet. These challenges have left over half of professor posts vacant in 12 AIIMS branches.

In Raebareli, 88 faculty posts remain unfilled out of 201, and AIIMS Jammu has vacancies for 68 out of 183 professor roles at the associate professor level, data shows.

POSITIONS VACANT

The alarming situation is that many vacancies have not been filled in the past 2-3 years.

In AIIMS Delhi alone, in the last 3 years, 1,191 faculty positions were sanctioned. Of them, 827 were filled, while 364 are vacant, government data shows.

In 2023-24, 1,207 posts were sanctioned - 850 were filled and 357 were vacant. In 2024-25, 1,235 positions were sanctioned and 803 were filled, while 432 were left vacant. For 2025-26, 1,306 posts have been sanctioned and 844 filled, while 462 are vacant, as per a reply in Parliament.

- Ends