The government itself has admitted in the Lok Sabha that thousands of posts of doctors, nursing staff and paramedical staff are lying vacant in the country’s largest and busiest government hospitals. In response to a question by MP Jai Prakash, Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Lok Sabha on July 24, 2026 that the vacancy situation in four big central hospitals like Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and RHTC of Najafgarh has remained serious for the last three years.
According to the minister’s reply, the total number of sanctioned, filled and vacant posts in these four hospitals was 2015 in 2023-24, which reduced to 1523 in 2025-26, but from the point of view of big hospitals, this number is also big. The government claimed that the posts are being filled through processes like timely reporting of vacancies to UPSC, NORCET examination held twice a year for Nursing Officers and CRE and Staff Selection Commission for non-teaching posts of Group B and C, but the figures show that despite all these efforts, vacancy still remains a major challenge.
Safdarjung Hospital
Safdarjung Hospital (VMMC & SJH), which is counted among the largest multi-specialty hospitals in Asia, has the highest pressure of patients. More than 10,000 OPD patients come here every day for treatment and the bed capacity of the hospital is more than 3,000. If we look at the figures, out of 633 sanctioned posts of doctors in 2023-24, 475 were filled and 158 were vacant. By 2025-26, the sanctioned posts increased to 638, but the filled posts decreased to 449, that is, the number of vacant posts increased to 189. The condition of nursing staff is also not much different. Out of 2083 sanctioned posts, only 1912 were filled in 2025-26 and 171 are vacant. The situation is worst in paramedical staff, where out of 1392 sanctioned posts, 514 posts are still vacant, although this number is much less than the 944 vacant posts of 2023-24.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital
Known for serving Central Government employees (CGHS) and VIP services, RML Hospital (ABVIMS & Dr. RMLH) provides OPD services to 3,500 to 4,000 patients daily and has a bed capacity of 1,420. Here the situation seems a little better in terms of doctors. In 2023-24, out of 383 sanctioned posts, 58 were vacant, which reduced to 82 as against 453 sanctioned posts in 2025-26. Improvement is clearly visible in the nursing staff, where only 4 posts are vacant in 2025-26 compared to 20 vacant posts in 2023-24. However, the number of vacant posts in paramedical staff has increased from 146 to 130, which is still a huge figure.
Lady Hardinge Hospital
Lady Hardinge Medical College and its affiliated hospital, a major center for women and pediatrics, receives more than 6,000 patients daily for treatment, while its bed capacity is 1,450. Here, the number of vacant posts of doctors has increased from 30 in 2023-24 to 51 in 2025-26, while the sanctioned posts have increased from 346 to 383. The number of vacant posts in nursing staff has also increased from 129 to 139. The situation in paramedical staff has improved a bit, the vacant posts here have reduced from 191 to 154.
RHTC Najafgarh
RHTC Najafgarh, which serves as an integrated health and training center for rural areas, is the smallest in size, with 400 to 600 patients coming daily and a bed capacity of 163, but in terms of vacancy rate, it is among the most affected centres. Here, out of 49 sanctioned posts of nursing staff, only 7 posts have been filled continuously for the last three years, that is, 42 posts remain vacant every year. In case of doctors also, out of 46 sanctioned posts, 13 posts are vacant in 2025-26. Out of 63 posts of paramedical staff, 34 posts are still vacant.
Numbers decreased, but challenge remains
It is clear from the government data that in the last three years, the total number of vacant posts in the four central hospitals has decreased from 2015 to 1523, which is a positive sign. But the speed at which the number of patients is increasing every day. More than 10,000 in Safdarjung, about 4,000 in RML, more than 6,000 in Lady Hardinge. Accordingly, this shortage is still having a direct impact on the care of patients. In particular, shortage of paramedical staff and nursing, which form the backbone of day-to-day care of patients, still remains a major challenge for these hospitals.
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