After HC Cracks Whip on Medical Vacancies, NMC Directs States to Act Within 6 Months
SHIMLA/NEW DELHI: In a significant push to address the shortage of doctors in government medical institutions, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed all states and Union Territories to immediately initiate recruitment drives to fill vacant posts in medical teaching services.
The directive follows a sharp order from the Patna High Court in a case titled Dr. Shyam Kumar Satyapal & Others vs NMC & Others, where the court expressed serious concern over the deteriorating condition of public health systems due to staff shortages.
In a communication issued from New Delhi on March 13, 2026, NMC Secretary Dr. Raghav Langer forwarded the court’s judgment to all state governments, asking them to ensure compliance within a time-bound period of six months.
The High Court, in its observations, made it clear that merely enforcing attendance among existing faculty will not improve the situation. Instead, it stressed that the real solution lies in filling large-scale vacancies across medical colleges and health institutions.
The court also flagged the harsh working conditions faced by medical professionals, noting that doctors and faculty members are often forced to work continuously for 24 to 72 hours without breaks. Such extreme workloads, it observed, not only lead to burnout but also push staff towards absenteeism and, in some cases, “false attendance.”
Calling the situation untenable, the court warned that unless vacancies are urgently filled, the overall functioning of state health departments will continue to deteriorate.
Acting on these directions, the NMC has now formally asked states to take “necessary and further action” as per norms and launch recruitment drives without delay.
The move is expected to put pressure on several states, including those like Himachal Pradesh, where shortages of doctors and faculty in medical colleges have remained a persistent issue.
With a clear six-month timeline now in place, all eyes will be on how swiftly states respond to plug the gaps in the healthcare system.
