Raipur: There is an acute shortage of nursing and paramedical staff in hospitals affiliated with the state’s 10 government medical colleges, including Ambedkar Hospital in Raipur. Due to the staff crunch, the workload in these hospitals is constantly increasing, causing difficulties for patients. Although the government approved the direct recruitment of over 6,300 personnel nearly four years ago, the process has stalled because the reservation roster has not yet been finalized.
The Department of Medical Education is responsible for finalizing the recruitment roster. The process is stuck because the situation regarding divisional and district-level rosters remains unclear among officials. Meanwhile, posts for nursing and paramedical staff have also been sanctioned for five new medical colleges that commenced operations this year. With the addition of these posts, the total number of vacancies is expected to exceed 7,500.
A Four-Year Wait for Recruitment
In 2022, the Department of Medical Education formulated a plan to conduct simultaneous recruitment across all government medical colleges and their affiliated hospitals. The government had granted its approval for this initiative. Based on a proposal from the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) office, the Professional Examination Board (Vyapam) had also consented to conduct the direct recruitment.
This marks the first major direct recruitment drive for nursing and paramedical staff in the state. It aims to fill positions that have remained vacant for a long time in medical colleges and hospitals. However, the persistent delay in recruitment is causing growing frustration among aspirants preparing for the exams.
Increased Workload Due to Staff Shortage
Nursing and paramedical staff positions fall under Class III and Class IV categories. The vacancies are adversely affecting operations in government medical colleges and hospitals across the state, including those in Raipur.
To address the staff shortage, several hospitals—including Ambedkar Hospital—are utilizing the services of daily-wage employees. Staff nurses are being paid according to the ‘Collector rate’ (local administrative wage rates). Despite this, there is a reported need for over 200 additional nurses at Ambedkar Hospital. The hospital staff is facing increasing pressure due to a heavy workload amidst a shortage of personnel, frequently leading to disputes with patients and their families.
Positions ranging from staff nurses to technicians
The recruitment drive conducted through Vyapam includes various posts—such as radiographers, OT technicians, lab technicians, ward boys, and ayahs—in addition to staff nurses.
According to officials, appointments to these posts cannot be made through contractual hiring alongside regular recruitment because adherence to the reservation roster is mandatory during the recruitment process. In 2022, a 58 percent reservation system was in effect in the state, allocating 32 percent for Scheduled Tribes, 14 percent for Other Backward Classes, and 12 percent for Scheduled Castes.
795 posts sanctioned for a medical college and hospital
The state government has sanctioned 324 posts for the medical college and 471 posts for its affiliated hospital, making a total of 795 posts available for recruitment. However, this figure could rise to as many as 825 posts in certain medical colleges and hospitals.
Recruitment for these positions is expected to significantly alleviate the shortage of nursing and paramedical staff. However, the timeline for the recruitment process remains unclear. Currently, the authorities are awaiting the finalization of the reservation roster, after which the recruitment process is likely to proceed through Vyapam.
