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November 23, 2024
Delhi, India
The Department of Medicine at Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar (BSA) Medical College in Delhi is facing a severe staffing crisis, with no regular or contractual professors currently working in the department. This startling revelation came to light through a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by a medical student on October 29, 2024. The response to the query, which was received on November 20, 2024, confirmed that the Department of Medicine at the college is operating without any permanent or temporary faculty.
The RTI response, dated November 11, 2024, stated: “Neither Regular nor Contractual Doctor/faculty working in the Department of Medicine in Dr. BSA Medical College.” This has raised concerns about the quality of education and medical training at the institution, which is located in the national capital.
Impact on Education and Patient Care
The shortage of faculty has reportedly been taking a toll on both academic learning and patient care. A senior resident at the medical college, speaking anonymously, expressed frustration over the situation. “The lack of faculty has been adversely affecting the academics of MBBS and postgraduate (PG) students for the past year. We, the senior residents, are managing patient care while simultaneously taking classes for the junior students,” the senior resident shared.
This lack of adequate teaching staff has placed a heavy burden on the senior residents, who are now expected to fill in for the missing faculty. The resident also pointed out that the department currently has only one associate professor, who is also tasked with responsibilities at the affiliated hospital. “The sole associate professor who has been designated as a professor for the medical college is from the hospital,” the resident revealed.
The medical college, which was established in 2016, has struggled to establish a proper academic structure. “Despite being located in the heart of the national capital, the college lacks a solid teaching faculty, adequate hostels, and other necessary infrastructure,” the senior resident added, highlighting the institution’s ongoing challenges.
Staffing Crisis Continues
Another resident who joined the college in 2020 echoed similar concerns. “When I joined, there were seven faculty members in the Department of Medicine. Over the past year, the department has become seriously understaffed. Right now, there is only one professor and three Casual Medical Officers (CMOs) working in the department,” the resident revealed.
The CMOs, who have been temporarily assigned to the medicine department, are reportedly from other departments due to the ongoing faculty shortage.
National Medical Commission (NMC) Standards
According to the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) guidelines for faculty recruitment, medical colleges must adhere to specific norms based on the number of MBBS seats. For a college with 125 MBBS seats, the NMC’s prescribed staffing includes:
- 1 Professor
- 3 Associate Professors
- 4 Assistant Professors
- 4 Senior Residents
However, the Department of Medicine at Dr. BSA Medical College is currently being run with just one professor, falling significantly short of the required faculty.
A Call for Immediate Action
The situation has raised alarms about the future of medical education at BSA Medical College, with students and residents expressing their concern over the long-term implications of the staffing shortage. “The Medicine Department is a crucial part of medical education, and it is disappointing to see it in such a dire state,” one of the students remarked.
The lack of faculty and inadequate infrastructure at the college underscores a growing issue in India’s medical education system, which is under strain from increasing demand and insufficient resources. The medical community is calling for urgent steps to address these deficiencies and ensure that students receive the quality education they deserve.
The shortage of faculty at Dr. BSA Medical College is just one example of a broader issue facing medical institutions across the country, where inadequate staffing and infrastructure often compromise both education and patient care.
