Assam blames specialist shortage on doctors’ reluctance to join govt posts

Indian Opinion Analysis

The core problem Assam faces is a national one: India produces roughly 1,200 super-specialty doctors a year against a requirement of over 3,000, and most gravitate to metros or private hospitals where salaries and facilities are better. For Assam, the shortage is acute because its medical colleges produce a small fraction of even that limited national output. The eight new medical colleges Singhal mentions will take at least 5-7 years to produce their first batch of super-specialists. Meanwhile, the state has roughly 700 super-specialist posts sanctioned but close to 300 vacant, with cardiology and neurology among the worst-hit departments. The 4.5 crore outpatient figure Singhal cited is roughly 4.5 times the state's population, counting repeat visits, and shows the dent that unfilled specialist slots make on patient trust. The next concrete test will be the Bongaigaon Medical College's operational timeline and whether the government can finalise any new recruitment drive before the next budget session.