NEW DELHI: As the network of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences expands across the country, artificial intelligence in diagnosis and faster faculty recruitment must go hand in hand, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Friday.Addressing a leadership meeting of presidents and CEOs of the newly established AIIMS, Nadda urged the institutes to integrate AI into diagnosis and clinical decision-making, and to institutionalize telemedicine as a regular component of patient care.He stressed that the expansion of infrastructure must be matched by the strengthening of human resources. The minister called for accelerating the recruitment of faculty members without compromising academic standards or the quality of healthcare delivery, and suggested holding at least four interview cycles annually.
He also stressed on regular conduct of structured recruitment mechanisms such as NORCET and Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) for nursing and non-faculty staff to ensure timely appointments.The focus on employment comes amid significant employment gaps. In a recent response in Parliament, the government acknowledged that nearly one in three faculty posts across AIIMS are vacant, while more than 17,000 non-faculty posts — including nurses, technicians and support staff — remain vacant across the 20 operational institutes.
The vacancies have raised concerns about service delivery even as the number of patients rises.Nada stressed that patient care, education, and research must advance in a balanced manner and be based on a patient-centered model. He called for the establishment of structured systems for patient feedback, greater transparency in decision-making, and close collaboration between AIIMS institutions, many of which are at different stages of development.The Minister also directed to activate Jan Aushadhi Kendras and AMRIT pharmacies at every campus of AIIMS to improve access to affordable medicines. It encourages collaborative research with leading institutions in areas such as rare diseases, genetic disorders and medical technology innovation.Cautioning that increased capacity should not dilute established standards, Nadda said AIIMS should continue to set standards in healthcare and medical education while maintaining its institutional ethos.
