Over 500 posts for doctors vacant in ESIC hospitals

As many as 567 posts for doctors and 382 positions of specialists are vacant in the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals, Parliament was informed today.
Out of the 1,908 sanctioned posts for doctors in ESIC hospitals, 1,341 are filled and rest 567 are vacant, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
According to his reply, there are 447 specialists working in ESI hospitals as against the sanctioned 829. Thus, leaving 382 posts of specialist vacant.
The minster said that the main reason for shortfall of doctors and specialists is their general shortage in the country.

He further said that some doctors or specialists do not apply for the job (in ESIC) as private practice is not allowed in the corporation. Also, doctors leave the job for better opportunity or for pursuing higher studies, he added.
The minister also informed that at present, the government was not considering revision of recruitment regulations of doctors and specialists.

The information provided by the minister revealed that maximum number of doctors' post is lying vacant in Delhi (171), followed by Kerala (102), Maharashtra (54), Punjab (40) and Haryana (39).
However, in Karnataka, 141 doctors are working against the sanctioned posts of 130. Similarly, there is one doctor working with ESIC in Chhattisgarh against no sanctioned post.

In the category of super specialist, only 7 doctors are working with ESIC against sanctioned 105. The highest number of vacancies in this category are in Delhi at 19 followed by Telangana (15) and Karnataka (12).
There are vacancies of six specialists each in Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
In a separate reply, the minister said that ESIC has decided in its meeting on April 7 this year that it will not set up any new medical college or new medical education institution in future.