Hyderabad : Telangana has nearly 30% of its sanctioned doctor posts lying vacant in govt teaching and secondary hospitals, with 2,238 of the 7,515 positions remaining unfilled, according to health department data tabled in the legislative council. The figures were provided in response to a question raised by BRS MLC Naveen Kumar Kurumaiahgari.
At the current pace of recruitment, about 250 to 300 doctors a year, it could take several years to fill all vacant posts,” said a govt doctor. Among teaching hospitals, Govt Medical College (GMC), Asifabad, stood out with nearly 73% of its sanctioned doctor posts vacant, followed by GMC Bhadradri Kothagudem with more than 55% vacancies. In contrast, Gandhi Hospital and Osmania Medical College reported no vacancies and were functioning above their sanctioned strength.
Public health experts said the shortage, concentrated at the district and secondary levels, could increase workloads on existing doctors and push more patients towards already crowded tertiary hospitals in Hyderabad and other major cities. “When district and secondary hospitals function at only 50% to 70% of their sanctioned doctor strength, patients inevitably bypass them for city hospitals, defeating the very purpose of a referral system,” said Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary general of the Telangana Teaching Govt Doctors Association (TTGDA). “General-duty vacancies matter, but it is the absence of surgeons, gynaecologists and anaesthetists that most directly affects patient outcomes.